Infestation and Medicine?
by AllHailMario
Summary: Link's leg is paralyzed from an attack by a strange creature. These creatures are swiftly appearing all over Hyrule, threatening the peace once more. While on another adventure to end them, Link must try to cure his leg with very strange medicine...
1. Prologue

In a land very, very far away, almost unheard of, there was a young man named Link.

Link was trying to live his life normally, but after the events that had happened several months ago, that was hard to do.

Link was a hero.

He had been born with a Triforce mark on his left hand. He hadn't known it way back when he was little, but this tiny mark made of three connected triangles made him destined to be the hero of the mythical land of Hyrule. Several months ago, a strange curtain of twilight had enveloped the land of Hyrule. People turned into spirits. Monsters turned into more horrific monsters. Link, however, had been transformed into a sacred wolf due to the power of the Triforce of Courage on his hand. After being imprisoned, breaking free, and finding a strange helper named Midna, who was a member of the Twili who had covered Hyrule in twilight, Link went on a long quest to vanquish Zant, the usurper king of twilight, and eventually Ganondorf, who was a dark lord who had been pulling the strings all along.

And ever since then, Link couldn't look at one of his friends without thinking, "I remember how I saved him by jousting a monster on top of a bridge," or see a cat and think, "I remember talking to Louise the cat in wolf form."

He wasn't quite treated the same, either. It wasn't just because of his change from grungy farm clothes to the garb of an ancient hero. His friends still hung out with him as usual, but there was almost like an aura around Link that made people want to get on their knees and beg an autograph from him.

Link was done with his farm duties for the day. He had a job as a goat wrangler for a man named Fado who lived in Ordon Village along with Link. Link always enjoyed taking a refreshing walk in the woods after this. Which was what he was doing now.

Link passed over the bridge and entered the Faron Province, which was a particularly wooded area known for its lush forests. A squirrel scurried away from him as he passed by it. Link smiled as he saw the furry creature. He liked squirrels.

But he didn't expect what was coming next.

Suddenly, the squirrel stood upright, still as a statue. Link watched it with small amazement. But his amazement grew when the squirrel toppled over sideways. When Link looked closer, he saw a small dart sticking out of its neck. A hunter?

How wrong he was.

Out of the woods came a small creature Link had never seen before. It was ugly. It looked like a mixture between a crab and a scorpion. Its tail was already growing another dart. Link had faced much more fearsome foes (like a gargantuan spider in the Temple of Time), but this one looked dangerous. It leaped onto the squirrel and starting gorging itself on the fresh meat. Link backed away slowly, hoping it wouldn't notice him. He wasn't equipped with any of his usual weapons, so fleeing was about his only option.

It noticed him.

It craned its small, ugly body over to Link, the squirrel's blood across its tiny face. Link froze, keeping eye contact with the thing. He dared himself to breathe. The scorpion-thing arched its tail over its body.

Link stood still no more. He dashed off in a zigzagging pattern. He sensed that the dart had been fired but had missed him. The ugly little creature was following him now. He could hear its many legs tapping along the ground behind him and its unearthly cries. He looked behind him and saw its tail was arched again. _How can it grow darts back so fast?_ Link thought to himself. This was a creature he had never even dreamed of in his nightmares, and he certainly didn't want to see it again.

Link felt a sharp pain in his ankle. He had been hit with a dart. His leg became strangely numb, and he fell over.

It didn't taken long before the ugly monster was on him. It began stabbing him with its pincers, trying to immobilize him. With his other free leg, Link kicked the thing off and tried to stagger back to his feet. He felt it leap onto his injured leg, grip it like a vice, and take several bites out of it. Link stepped on it with his other leg and kept it pinned to the ground. The thing raised its tail again.

And that's when Link noticed it. A huge, sturdy tree limb was lying nearby. He grabbed it, leaned back, and swung forward. The hideous monster was knocked several yards away, near the bridge Link had come across. Without hesitation, Link took another swing at it and smacked it off the bridge. He listened to it shriek horribly on the way down and heard a bloodcurdling crunch as it bashed against a boulder as it fell. Link stared at the dead monster for awhile before he felt the numbness in his leg start to spread.

_There could be more of them around,_ Link thought to himself. Keeping the stick as a weapon, Link limped off to home, where he collapsed in front of his house.


	2. Chapter 1: Constellatia

"Hey! What's going on?"

"Oh, my gosh! What happened to him?"

"Link's DEEAAAD!!"

"Calm down. He'll be fine."

"What happened to his leg?"

"Oh my gosh, he's DEEAAD!"

These were the first jumble of sounds Link heard when he awoke. Malo, Talo, Beth, Colin, Ilia, and Rusl (the only adult of the group) were standing over him. Link sat up uncomfortably and looked around. He was in front of his house, just where he had collapsed.

"Hey, you're awake!" Talo shouted excitedly. "Yeah, Beth kept saying you were dead, but I tried to tell her not to worry."

Malo glanced at Talo with a "yeah, right" expression. But otherwise, he kept silent.

Link tried to stand up, but his right leg wouldn't budge. He fell down again and recalled what happened. Not only had a few chunks been taken out of his leg, he had been hit with that strange dart from the creature. That dart had immobilized his entire leg.

"What happened to you, son?" Rusl asked Link curiously.

"You know I like to walk out back in the woods after herding the cattle," Link explained. "Out there, I was attacked...by some sort of creature. It looked like a scorpion with kind of a crab-like body." Link sighed. "I don't know. It shoots darts. It got my leg. I can't move it."

Talo looked over at the bloody wound on the back of his leg. "A little dart did all that?"

Link shook his head. "It scratched at it. I can't even get up!" Link complained again.

"Well, we'd better get you inside," Rusl decided. He picked Link up (who felt rather silly relying on someone else to move him), climbed awkwardly up the ladder ("I will have that replaced with stairs first chance I get," Link said after bumping his head on a few ladder rungs), and into Link's home. He was laid down on a couch.

"Ilia," Rusl said, giving instructions. "I'd like you to go find a winto leaf. They're supposed to help close up wounds faster."

"Not into the forest!" Link hissed. "That's where that thing attacked me. Who knows if that thing's little brother is waiting to avenge his brother's death!?"

Rusl nodded. "Winto leaves don't have to be found in the woods. They can be found right in Ordon village, if you know where to look. But still be careful, Ilia. If that thing's as dangerous as Link says it is..."

Rusl left the sentence unfinished. Ilia paused, then turned to Link and said, "Bye, Link. I'll be back soon. Don't worry."

_Don't worry._

Those words hung around in Link's head, and he found it impossible not to worry.

"What _was_ that thing?" Link said after awhile. "I've never even heard of it in my life. What kind of sick bug shoots darts at squirrels and eats them the way that thing does?"

Rusl thought for a bit. "You said that the thing had the body of a crab, correct?"

Link nodded. "And the tail of a scorpion, which shoots darts that apparently immobilize poor passerby legs."

Rusl thought some more. "I will admit, I have never heard of such a thing. Research must be done."

Colin held a steaming cup of tea in front of Link. "Dad taught me how to make tea, and I figured it might help soothe you up..."

Link accepted the tea gratefully. All he could do now was wait for Ilia to get back.

"How's your leg?" Ilia asked Link while she wrapped it in a big leaf. The leaf felt good against his bloody leg.

"I still can't move it." As if to prove his point, Link tried to move his leg. Like he said, it didn't respond to him at all. "That arrow must have had some sort of poison...or something...that immobilizes whatever it hits. Ow!"

That was just one of several "ows" Link had shouted during the processing of wrapping up his leg. Ilia apologized again and continued wrapping.

"We've got to find out about them," Link continued. "There's got to be some book. Something about strange and dangerous creatures."

Rusl frowned. "We don't have very many books in Ordon, and the closest and biggest library around would be in, of course, Castle Town. Going through the woods at this time would be exceedingly dangerous. But we may have no choice."

Link sighed. "I would go if my leg wouldn't stop acting like a rebellious child to me." Link grumpily tried to shake his leg around some more, but as always, it remained unresponsive. He sighed again and put his head back.

A week had passed. Link's leg still wouldn't budge. And it was then that Uli, Rusl's wife, who had helped in tending to him, decided that Link needed...medicine.

"You say that the immobilization in your leg hasn't even improved slightly in all this time?" Uli asked.

Link nodded. "Still as heavy as a rock."

Uli looked at the leg for a few more seconds. "It needs medicine. There are several medicines out there that heal immobilization, but they're all in Castle Town, and going there would mean going through the woods and possibly facing more of your attackers."

Rusl, who was sitting nearby with Ilia, replied, "It is necessary. And while we are there, we should check out the library for more information. A second trip to Castle Town would be even more dangerous, so although it might cost a lot of money, we'd have to buy almost every kind of medicine there. We'd better buy some books while we're at it." Rusl stood up and walked towards the door. "Tomorrow, we shall set off in a wagon. We will go quickly through the forest. We will probably be safe once we're out of the trees."

"I'll go, too," Ilia said. "I'll help find books and all that sort of thing. I want to help."

Rusl nodded. It was decided. Tomorrow, they would leave.

Link had waited impatiently for a long while. It was in the night two days later that Rusl, Ilia, and Colin (who had decided to go along at the last minute) entered back into Link's house. Link had been staring into the fireplace, thinking, when the door opened.

"You're back!" Link said happily. "Find anything?"

Rusl was carrying a box full of small medicine bottles, while Ilia was holding a stack of books. Rusl set the box down on a table, and Ilia plopped down in a chair, set the stack of books aside, and pulled one out and started reading it.

"You didn't have trouble on the way, did you?" Link asked nervously.

Rusl shook his head. "My son Colin, however, did say he saw the kind of creature that attacked you."

"We were passing by pretty quickly in the Faron woods," Colin said, "but I still saw it up close. It had a black, shiny body and, like you said, had a scorpion's tail and a weird, crab-like body. It almost attacked us. It raised its tail."

Link realized that all that had to have happened was a dart being fired and hitting someone in the wagon, and more people would have joined Link. Link glanced over at the book Ilia was reading. It was titled, "Enigmatic Mysteries of Old." Ilia was reading through it ferociously. Before Link could open his mouth to comment, Rusl explained, "She thought the book was interesting, so I got it for her. Something for the young ones in the wagon to do on the way back."

Link picked out a random bottle of medicine. It was a bright blue color. "When do I start with the medicine?" he asked.

"Now, if you like."

Link turned the bottle to the back and read what it was made of and what side-effects there may be. "'Some side-effects may occur,'" Link read out loud, "'including loss of equilibrium, exhaustion and...senseless babbling?'" Link read the phrase over and over again. "There's a side-effect called 'senseless babbling,' and I'm hoping that's a joke." Link put the bottle back. "Maybe I'll try another one."

The next one he picked up wasn't much better. "The side-effects here can be shaking hands, brief blurry vision, and going to sleep easily." Link shrugged. "Everybody needs a good rest now and then, right?" he said.

If only he knew.

He took a small gulp and swallowed. It tasted like eating leaves. It was pretty gross, but he managed to get it down his throat. "Not too bad," Link said finally. "So, according to this, I just take one spoonful a day for approximately two weeks."

"That wasn't a spoonful," Ilia pointed out, looking up from her book.

"Close enough," Link said, setting the tiny bottle onto a special spot on the table. He made sure it would always be there.

"Well, we'll be leaving now," Rusl said. "Remember to take your medicine, Link. Don't overdose on it, and remember that the box will always be there if you need another medicine bottle."

Link glanced at the big box and wondered how he could forget. He waved bye to them.

"If you want, I can stay here and give you some company, Link," Ilia volunteered.

Link was about to say no when he realized he really was awfully lonely by himself, sitting in bed, drinking awful-tasting medicine. So he said yes, and Ilia continued to read her book, pointing out nice tidbits on legends and myths long ago.

In another ten minutes, Link was asleep. He woke up very soon after, only about another ten minutes later.

"I miss anything?" Link asked groggily.

"No. Wait..." Ilia flipped back a page. She was concentratingly intensely now. "Link, I think I might have found the identity of your attacker."

Link tried to get out of bed, but fell over onto his back when his other leg wouldn't budge. Ilia didn't seem to have noticed. "'Walks like a beach-dwelling creature, stings like a desert-dwelling bug.'" A crab and a scorpion. Does that sound like--?"

"Yes!" Link exclaimed, still trying to get back up. "That sounds exactly like..."

And before he could continue, he was instantly asleep again. Ilia waited rather impatiently for him to wake up. When he did, he apologized quickly and asked her to continue.

"They're called the Constellatia," Ilia explained. "There's a long history that goes back with them. There was a man with strong magic powers who lived about two thousand years ago. Life quickly went wrong for him; his parents died early, his house burned down, and people shied away from him, thinking he was having such bad luck because he was a sorcerer. Filled with vengeance, he--"

A loud breathing sound told Ilia that Link was out again. She tapped him on the shoulder a few times with no response. She even pinched him and blew in his ear. It wasn't until the sixth pinch that he straightened up and shouted "ow!"

"Quit falling asleep."

"Sorry."

Link was already starting to see the disadvantages of the side-effects of the medicine he was taking. Ilia continued reading. "Filled with vengeance, he brought out his biggest powers and created at his disposal an army of deadly bugs which he called the Constellatia from the fact that he got his power with the number of stars visible in the sky, and on that night every last star was visible...that's what this book says." She paused. "The Constellatia quickly killed their creator and went loose into the world. A large group of people with strong magic finally managed to banish these creatures to the heart of the earth, where they were to stay for eternity."

"They didn't kill them?" Link asked quizzically.

"I'd imagine it was easier to seal them away than to kill them," Ilia explained.

"But they're here at the surface," Link wondered aloud. "Did they dig their way up?"

"It's awfully hard to dig so far up through solid rock and even magma..."

"They did have a couple thousand years to do it."

"Well, yes."

Ilia kept reading, but she found nothing else. "It doesn't say anything else, but that sheds some light on our mystery." Ilia yawned. "I'm pretty tired. I guess I'll go to--"

Link was asleep again before she had even finished her sentence. She sighed, closed the book, and left Link's house.


	3. Chapter 2: Sticky Situations

Link woke up at about twelve o' clock, thanks to the sleepiness side-effect of the medicine he had been taking. Already, his bed was too warm. He lifted one leg up out of it, then used his arms to pull the practically lifeless other leg out. He sighed.

_Who would have thought random bouts of sleepiness would be so destructive to my time?_ Link thought sourly. _And so far, it doesn't seem to be working..._

After a week, Link could lift his leg, although it felt like trying to lift a 200-pound weight with merely his toes. When the two weeks had passed, Link's leg had returned to its near-lethargic state, and all Link gained out of it was wasted time.

"Just exactly HOW many medicine bottles do we have here!?" Link exclaimed angrily when Rusl, Ilia, and Uli came to check up on. Link dropped another medicine bottle back into the box after reading a side-effect that said "excessive flatulence." "NONE of these medicine bottles look like dreamland to take. Check the side-effect of THIS one out; 'deathly fear of beds.' I HAVE to stay in a bed."

Ilia gave Link her "stop-complaining-and-listen-to-me" look. "Well, you could always sleep on the floor, if you prefer, where all the dust bunnies and mice are."

"There aren't any mice in my house," Link responded quizically.

Ilia pointed to a small rodent in the corner of the room. Link sighed and forced himself to ignore the thing which was currently chewing a hole in one of his socks lying around.

"You're going to have to take another one," Ilia continued. "Who knows? Maybe the one with the fear of beds is the one that will cure you. And wouldn't you rather get the worst out of the way first?"

Link mumbled something about women and picked up a random bottle and looked at the funny side-effect of it. Excessive stickiness. Whatever that meant. Link decided to take a chance, unscrewed the top, put some in a spoon, and gulped it down. It tasted like cherries; good taste, and certainly a nice change from the one that tasted like rotting leaves. He set it back in the box.

"Ilia told us about the Constellatia," Rusl began. "One of them attacked you, correct?"

Link nodded. "Or so we think. Sounds similar, though."

Link took an apple from a nearby fruit bowl supplied by Beth's mother and bit into it as Rusl continued. "I have a feeling that the Constellatia are elsewhere. Or worse yet, there's a nest. They're digging up from the 'heart of the earth,' and from the sounds of it, they're very close to the surface. This may be a crisis spread all over Hyrule."

"Which would be worse?" Link wondered aloud. "An entire nest so they come up all at once, or having them spread over Hyrule?"

"If there's a nest," Uli answered, "someone might be able to kill them all at once. If they were spread across Hyrule, we wouldn't be able to kill them quickly enough."

_Sounds like more hero work for yours truly._ Link finished his apple and threw it in a nearby trash can.

Or at least, he tried to. The apple stuck to his hand. Link looked at his apple and shook his hand wildly. The apple continued to stick. He grabbed it with his other hand and pulled it off. Now it was stuck to his other hand. With increasing desperation, he shook his hand up and down.

"I'm being beaten by an apple!" Link cried incredulously. He reached over, took a knife, stuck it in the apple, and flung it into the trash can. Now the knife wouldn't budge. Link become annoyed even more when the three people in front of him looked around the room, pretending nothing was going on. In desperation, he slammed the sharp end of the knife into the wall beside him and pulled his hand off. There was a red line where the knife was.

"I'd rather be afraid of beds," Link muttered darkly, rubbing his hand. Which, of course, was another mistake.

"Um..." Rusl tried to ignore the growing frustration on the young hero's face. "We had better go alert the soldiers of Hyrule about this matter, before it gets worse. Perhaps I'll go to Castle Town and see what I can do."

"I'll go," Link grunted. He forced his hands apart, and they smacked into the wall behind him. He looked as if he were a prisoner chained to a wall for torture. "As soon I'm free!!"

--

It had taken quite a bit more time to successfully unpeel Link's hands from the wall and put his boots on. He wore his gauntlets to make grabbing things easier (as only the tips of his fingers now could stick to anything) and brought his weaponry along with him in case he ran into trouble. Link leaped onto Epona's (his horse's) back, careful not to touch her with his exposed fingers. He waved bye to the small group of people behind him and rode off.

Link rode particularly fast through the Faron Woods. He knew the quickest way out into Hyrule Field, which helped. For safety, he pulled out the Master Sword from the sheath on his back (he had, a few months ago, gone back to get the Master Sword from the Sacred Grove, where he had placed it after his big adventure from before) in case any Constellation appeared (Ilia had told him that that was the plural word for Constellatia).

Link found some. He passed by one as he rode, which arched its tail threateningly. Link was surprised to see two more Constellation crawl in around it. The Constellation were growing. He could see that. There were more of them here than before.

He now understood what this was. It was a race against time. The Constellation had to be found and stopped before they all completely broke the surface. It would be the sure end of Hyrule if that were to happen.

And what was Link doing? He was taking medicine with funny side-effects. He was in no shape to fight against the demonic little creatures while his whole leg was numb. He was dragging himself everywhere. Even on Epona, Link could only kick Epona's side with one foot to make her go faster. He just hoped he would find the right medicine in time.

--

Link arrived in Castle Town fairly quickly. He had noticed quite a few more Constellation out in Hyrule Field. He had urged Epona to go faster, as no trees were here to protect Link from any more darts. And he REALLY couldn't afford to be hit again.

There was practically nobody in the busy streets of Castle Town, which was pretty odd. Castle Town was always bustling with people. You had to push your way through the crowds and say "excuse me/outta the way" half a bajillion times to get somewhere. But few people were out and about.

"Where is everybody?" Link asked to a nearby middle-aged woman who was hurrying somewhere.

"Ssh! Get inside!"

"Get inside, where?"

The woman didn't bother to answer his question and dashed off inside what was probably her house. Link decided to follow her in. He tied Epona to a nearby metal post and went inside.

"What are you going to do about your horse?" the woman asked.

Link looked back at Epona, who was staring at him through the window. "Am I supposed to do anything?"

"One of those bugs might get it."

Now Link understood why Castle Town was empty. Everybody had, as a general order, been told to stay inside as much as possible to avoid conflict with the Constellation. "Okay, what DO I do with Epona?"

"Bring it inside."

Link almost snorted from laughter. Bring the horse inside the home? "You're not afraid of knocking over--"

Link never got a chance to finish the sentence as another horse walked into the room. Link's eyes widened.

"That's my horse," the woman explained. "We've let her stay inside, although it's been quite a handful. I suppose one more horse, for the time being, won't hurt that much."

Link hesitated, then opened the door, untied Epona, and brought her inside. "I don't really intend to stay here long," Link explained. "I was here to inform the soldiers that the Constellation--the bugs that have been hanging around--are here, but they already seem to know. All the same, I've got some info on them I don't think even they know. We need to discuss strategy. Otherwise, you'll be seeing a lot more of the ugly bugs out there."

Right on cue, a Constellatia appeared in the window. It screeched a couple of times and hopped off again.

"How overrun is this town?" Link asked, still looking outside the window.

"Not particularly so, but enough to where it's extremely dangerous to step outside. I hear they're taking extremely big measures around Hyrule Castle to keep it protected. We've all been told to stay inside for now, and if we go out, to be quick and careful about it. My name's Bola, by the way."

She stretched her hand out. Link hesitated before shaking it awkwardly as to not let any of his fingers touch her. "Mine's Link."

Bola noticed Link's nervousness about shaking hands. "Why so stingy?" she asked.

Link sighed. "You may notice that I limped in here."

"Everybody's limping these days."

Link nodded. "Got hit in the leg with a dart from one of those things. I've been taking medicine to help me move it again, but the side-effects are pretty weird. The medicine I'm taking now makes me sticky, so I can't touch you without having to yank my hand off, having it splat into the wall, peel it off...yada yada yada..."

Bola frowned. "The doctors are working on it, but all medicine they've tried has failed. There have been some people that have been hit in the face with the darts, and now they can't talk or blink, and eating is very difficult. They have trouble breathing, as well. It's sad."

Link stood up. "I've probably got to be going now to find, I dunno, captain of the soldiers or something, tell him what's going on. Nice talking to you, though."

Bola nodded and said goodbye. Link asked if Epona could stay there for the time being, then ran across to Hyrule Castle to see what he could do.

There were no guards situated outside the castle. They were all inside, where they were safe...er. Link ran up to the doors and knocked. Surprisingly, the doors opened without having any questions asked from inside. Link stepped in between two guards.

"What's your business here?" the guard on the right asked gruffly.

"I have a bit of information on those bugs that might help. I don't know who to talk to, but maybe you could point me in the right direction."

The guard nodded. "You'll have to leave all your weapons here, though. Safety measures."

The castle was still in the process of being reconstructed after it had been blown to smithereens during a battle Midna had with Ganondorf during Link's adventure. The huge lobby had been done, and a temporary throneroom was straight ahead. It was a person walking through the doors to that throneroom that made Link stop and stare.

It was Princess Zelda. He had only met her a few times during his advenure, but she had given him advice and even helped him during the long battle with Ganondorf. Their gazes met as Link was taking his weapons off.

"This man says he's got information on the bugs that have been wreaking havoc on Hyrule," the guard told the princess.

Zelda gave a small nod. "He can keep his weapons. I know him. He's not a threat."

The guard looked astonished, but urged Link to go forward. Link walked up to the princess and instantly stopped. Was he supposed to bow? Would she think it silly?

As if reading his mind, Zelda said, "There is no need for formalities. I heard that you have important information."

Link nodded. "Those bugs are called the Constellation. Singularly, they're just called the Constellatia. About two thousand years ago, a powerful magician created them for revenge on the world, since life wasn't going well for him. The bugs killed him and went free into the world. Some other people with powerful magic couldn't or didn't want to kill the Constellation, so they banished them to the heart of the earth. They've been burrowing their way up ever since."

"And so you believe that they've finally broken the surface?"

"Some of them have, anyway. I don't know if there's one big colony traveling up or if they're honestly widespread around below the ground, but somehow we need to stop them before they all come up."

Zelda nodded. "The first thing we must do is discover as much about them as possible. It's important to know about the enemy before fighting them. A complete strategy will be made afterwards."

Yup, that was Zelda. She had a Triforce mark on her hand, too--the Triforce of Wisdom. Link had the Triforce of Courage. Ganondorf, who was long since dead, had had the Triforce of Power. Zelda's unfathomable amount of wisdom let her solve any tactical situation quickly.

"Do you think you can stay in the Castle Town area for now, Link?" Zelda asked.

Link nodded. He would have to send letters back home to have them send back the medicine bottles and that books of myths and legends that Ilia had. But for now, he would do what Zelda said.


	4. Chapter 3: Meet the Parents

Link decided to go check out the library Ilia and Rusl had gone to when they were in Castle Town. Maybe he could find something more about the Constellation. He also had to send that note, so he would ask for some paper or something in the library.

He exited the large gates outside of Hyrule Castle and was back in Castle Town. He didn't know where the library was, but he couldn't take long, lest he get nailed in the face this time by another large bug. He spotted a sign hanging outside a large building that said "library" and walked toward it.

A screech made him stop. Link whirled around to see a Constellatia about two feet from him, arching its tail. Without hesitation, Link pulled out his sword from his back and sliced it in two. Dark purple blood pooled out of it. Link suspected that that was poisonous, too, and backed away. He walked into the library and shut the door quickly.

There were quite a number of people inside the book-filled room. The floor was made of black stone. Candles lit the walls eerily. Link didn't know where to start looking. He walked up to a librarian and asked, "Excuse me, where might I find, you know, uh, books on myths, legends...that sort of thing?"

The librarian guided him to a bookshelf in the back of the room. Link thanked her and looked through the books.

"Myths of the Seas...Unfathomable Tales...alright, let's check that."

Link pulled the heavy Unfathomable Tales book out of the bookshelf and set it on a nearby wooden table. He opened it up and looked at the table of contents. He saw heroes, sea monsters, dragons, tales of one person building a castle all on his own...but nothing on annoying, pesky bugs that like to eat humans. Link shut the book with a sigh and returned it, then continued looking.

It was only during the fifth book he pulled out--"Monsters of Myth"--that he struck gold. There, in the table of contents, was a big, fat sentence saying "The Constellation." Flipping to the page it was on quickly, Link found a drawn sketch from an apparent survivor of old about the creature. Oddly enough, it wasn't like anything Link had seen. This didn't look like his attacker. It was bulkier, and had no stinger. Was this the king, or something? It didn't say so. Link ignored it for the moment and proceeded to read through the book.

_The Constellation are great beasts created from a sorceror who thought his life was useless. Everything had gone wrong for him. His loved ones had died. Thinking he was a source of bad luck, people never went near him. Angry at the world, he decided to destroy it by creating giant bugs that could kill any man easily. Naming the bug Constellatia because he got his power from how many stars were in the night sky--and on this night, the sky was lined with shining orbs--he decided to create more. Calling all of them Constellation, as a group, he was killed by his own creation. The Constellation--_

Link skipped through the rest of it. Ilia had already told him about it. He finally rested on another paragraph that explained their features.

_Covered in toxic thorns, one Constellatia is enough to take down a dozen men easily and still be hungry for more. Should someone touch a thorn, they will be filled with poison that will slowly eat away at their strength until they fall._ Which meant die, of course. _The eggs are a sickly green color and are strangely soft. The newborn ride on their parents' backs before they can hold their own. The newborn eventually grow into dangerous bugs with bodies shaped like crabs for free movement and tails with shootable stingers that immobilize their prey. They often bring caught prey to their bigger, spider-like parents, who they will eventually grow into._

Oh, gosh.

That explained it.

That's why the sketch of the Constellatia didn't look like his attacker. A BABY had attacked Link! A BABY had nearly killed him! _What are the big mommas like, then?_ Link thought. The sketch was a picture of an ADULT Constellatia. They didn't have stingers, but they certainly looked more dangerous. Link wanted to read more, but that was it. It moved onto some weird, lizard-type thing. Link closed the book and put it back, mulling over what he had just discovered.

So, the question was...why did Link only see the babies? A good mother hen wouldn't let her chicks wander far. So why were there no big, "spider-like" enemies found scurrying around? Link felt like he should be grateful, but it only made him nervous. He decided to walk back to Bola's house, take Epona, stay at a hotel or something, and find somewhere to put the work horse other than someone's home.

--

"Ya, it's just ten rupees to stay one night. We also have a protected stable for your horse, if you know what I mean, ya?"

Ignoring the receptionist's odd way of talking, Link nodded. "Have there ever been any horses attacked in the stable, as of late? You know, with the bugs?"

The receptionist shook his head. "Nope. It is the most well-protected horse stable around, though that is not a very big right to brag, ya?"

"Can I just stay a few nights?"

"Stay as long as you like, sir."

Link carefully led Epona to the horse stable, which was indeed well-protected. The stable was inside a building with no possible cracks or crevices. There were windows, but they were good and thick. Link felt at ease letting Epona stay here...somewhat. He walked back inside and up to his hotel room. It had a white, comfy-looking bed in a room with pink wallpaper that could make him puke. Trying to ignore the designs on the walls that looked like someone at an asylum would have drawn out of boredom, Link rested himself down on the bed and thought. Why weren't the adult Constellatia out on the surface? Were they just watching their children from afar? Or were the children quick enough to break the surface before they did?

Link had forgotten about writing the letter back home. He spotted a thick pile of paper on a wooden desk in front of him and a simple pen and started writing. In the letter he asked for his medicine and the book Ilia had bought. When he was done, he limped down the stairs and asked where he could deliver the letter.

The receptionist shook his head. "No, we do not give letters away at this time. Safety rules. Never know if someone might get hurt."

Link felt a bit sour, but understood his reasoning. He was going to have to go get the medicine and book himself, which probably wouldn't be easy. He decided to give Epona, not to mention himself, a little more time to rest before going out again.

--

Link did notice a few more Constellation out in Hyrule Field. No adults, though. Why weren't they there yet?

Link brushed the thought from his mind and concentrated solely on getting home. He would think about it later. Of course, procrastinating may lead to Hyrule's eventual destruction, which certainly nagged Link, so he decided that the answers was simple, and when it would show itself, he could take care of it. Assuming was always dangerous, but he didn't care.

Link was in the Faron Woods now. He wondered how Coro, the oil-selling guy, was faring. He imagined only an afro in the spot where the rest of Coro's body should have been. He shuddered. The guy didn't get up and move around much--in fact, there was a bird's nest in his hair--so he would be easy prey for a big, bad bug.

And speaking of which...

A large, shiny, black arm knocked Link backwards off Epona. He heard his attacker stalk up behind him. He heard the cry of a Constellatia. Only, it wasn't a high-pitched cry, but more like a low roar.

Well, of all times to find an adult, this was the worst.

Link turned to face the hulking foe. It bared its two, deadly fangs at him and roared loudly another time.

"Bugs don't roar," Link stated as if it needed stating.

He stood up and slapped Epona's behind. She rocketed off in the direction of the Ordona Province. Link did an instinctual jump to the side as the full-grown Constellatia burst into speed at him.

It really did look like the sketch he had seen. It had a long yet thick body with eight very sharp legs. It had a couple of prehensile mandibles, presumably for gripping its prey to hold it in place while the real fangs devoured it. Link sure didn't want to end up like that. It had several dozen spikes on its body that apparently held poison. He drew his sword and shield and prepared himself.

The Constellatia leaped on top of him and gripped his head with its mandibles. Before it could start munching on him, Link stabbed its side with its sword. The hide was so hard and thick the sword didn't go in much, but it was enough for the creature to recoil back and roar again. Link rolled out of the way as the Constellatia attempted to flatten the area he was just in. It turned and scuttled towards him again. Link back up, holding his shield up. The Constellatia took a massive arm and thrust it into him, knocking him back several feet. Link did a backwards roll as the enemy chomped its fangs into where he had been. Recovering quickly, he raised his sword and chopped it into the foe's back.

Unfortunately for Link, the creature recoiled again, making Link lose his grip on the sword. The Constellatia now had the Blade of Evil's Bane stuck in its back, dripping the ugly purple blood down its body. Great. Link pulled out his bow and strung an arrow onto it. He fired one, but the bug dodged around it easily. He fired another, but it bounced off of the thick hide. Before he could do anything else, he found himself, once again, down on the ground with an angry creature on him. Using his bare hands, Link attempted to hold the mandibles away from his face and push the fangs away from him. It required all of his strength, and he was losing. As a last-resort dirty trick, Link spit in its eye. Bull's-eye. The creature recoiled a third time, long enough for Link to escape. He grabbed his bow, strung an arrow onto it, then quickly hooked a bomb onto it. He took careful aim and shot the Constellatia, creating an explosion. Much of its outer shell was fractured, but now it just looked angrier.

The large bug dashed at him again. This time, Link ran forward to greet it himself. At the last second, he flipped over it, grabbed his sword, and landed behind it. He put his bow away and took a ready position.

Link wasn't expecting the creature's next move. It turned and climbed up a tree, watching the little human down on the ground hungrily. It leapt from tree to tree easily, despite its heavy body. Link sheathed his sword briefly and pulled out his bow again.

It was then that Link discovered that the Constellation really were intelligent creatures. It had been a trap. The moment Link had put his close-combat weapon away, it leaped back down on him. Link fired an arrow into the softer underbelly, but couldn't stop the Constellatia from chomping down on his arm. It pulled him in, preparing to drag him away. Throwing his bow down, he unsheathed his sword and hacked at the monster repeatedly. It released him, but Link's shield arm was now almost useless. He grabbed his Clawshot and aimed it at a tree branch above him. The chain from the device launched and grabbed onto the branch, pulling Link with it. The Constellatia looked up at him for a little bit. Link put his Clawshot away and prepared himself.

The monster started to climb the tree. It was a whole lot quicker than Link had thought. It was less than one second before it had reached him. Link kicked it in the face, which didn't do much. It attempted to bite him a few more times, but all it bit was air. Link stabbed his sword down its mouth. It roared in pain another time and fell back down to earth on its belly. Link leaped off the tree, holding his sword down in front of him in an awkward Ending Blow.

The sword crunched through the Constellatia's back and went through the ground underneath it. Filled with anger, Link stabbed it again. And again. And again. Soon, the monster was covered in holes. It let out a weak moan and struggled to get back up. Link hopped off in front of it, then leaned back and thrust the sword through its face. It let out an earsplitting final roar before it collapsed, dead.

Link stood on the spot for a few more seconds, the sword still stuck in the monster's face. Well, he had finally encountered an adult Constellatia, though certainly not in the fashion he would have liked to. And he had learned a few things: #1, adult Constellation should not be messed with, and #2, they're a lot smarter than they look. Pulling the sword out of his fallen foe, Link limped towards Ordon Village, preparing what he would say when the villagers discovered that he looked like crap.


	5. Chapter 4: A New Quest Begins

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the horribly long delay. I was suffering from what you might call "a severe case of writer's block." I haven't updated this story in a few months...I've been kinda lazy...but finally, I'm picking the story back up. The story's going to get a lot more exciting from this point on, so prepare yourself.

--

Link started when he heard footsteps approaching. If it was another Constellatia, he was prepared to first curse his horrid luck, then to fight it once again. Instead, he saw Ilia and Rusl dashing towards him. Their concerned expressions turned into looks of utter fear and astonishment when they saw his wounds.

"Epona came running into Ordon Village restless," Rusl said, out of breath, "so we suspected something had happened to you. ...You didn't meet up with another Constellatia, did you?"

Link sighed. "Let's get out of here before we're surrounded by many instead of one," he said flatly.

--

Back at Link's house, he was having to endure more pain and fussing from Ilia tending to his wounds. More herbs, more medicine, more bandaging and poking...sometimes, the pain got so bad, Link jumped up and had to restrain himself from pushing her away.

He was in a chair in front of a fire they had gotten going in his fireplace. Link had refused to tell anything until he was settled in and comfortable...or at least, more comfortable than he was at that point.

"So, you were attacked again?" Ilia asked.

Link hissed through his teeth as more pain shot up from a wound on his leg. "Yes. Not just any Constellatia. Did you know that the things we've been facing are babies of the real thing?"

Ilia stopped cleaning his wound. The room fell silent. "They were babies," Link continued. "A baby got me in the leg, and now I can't use it. I just faced one of the adults. Now I'm half-dead and probably getting even more injured by some painful 'cleaning' as we speak."

"Stop whining about that," Ilia snapped. "But still," she added in a calmer tone, "who would have thought...how come we haven't seen any adults so far, besides the one that attacked you? And how come the book I read only mentioned the babies?"

Link attempted to shrug, but his arms only caused him more pain, and he refrained from it. "These Constellation are even more mysterious than we--OW!! Ilia!!"

"Sorry!!"

"Rrr...These Constellation are a lot more mysterious than we thought at first. We just thought there were babies and they were dangerous. Now we have adults. We don't know how many are out there, why the babies are straying far from their parents, or--"

"Speaking of which, Link," Rusl cut in, "you _did_ kill the adult, didn't you?"

Link nodded. "It's still in the forest if you want to see it, although I definitely don't recommend straying into that forest for one second. By the way, have any Constellation appeared in the village?"

"A few," Rusl answered, trying to ignore the scream that tore from Link after Ilia once again hurt him. "We don't go out unless we must. They're destroying the crops in this village, and one even got into Sera's shop and destroyed everything in there."

Link gulped. "How's the cat?"

Rusl smirked. "The cat is fine. Wasn't around at the time."

Link thought about how attached Sera was to her cat and was glad the cat lived. He winced again as Ilia finished bandaging up one wound and moved over to another one.

"I came back here for my medicine," Link said. "You guys should watch out for any more Constellation. Especially adults. I think it's going to take more than just a closed door to keep one of those out."

"These are dark times," Rusl commented. "First, there was that darkness that descended on Hyrule, and now this. Are you going to attempt to stop these Constellation as well?"

Link started to speak, then looked away and thought. "I don't have a choice. If I don't, who will? I don't know where to start, but I have to start somewhere. Some way or another, I'm going to find how to kill these Constellation, and then kill them. Even if Hyrule is destroyed and the world is razed to the ground and they all pop up, I'm going to find a way to kill them all."

Silence filled the room for a bit (except for the occasional grunt or moan from Link). Finally, Ilia asked, "How's your current medicine coming along?"

"I haven't been using it long enough to really find out, but so far, no progress."

"And you haven't accidentally blown something up or killed anybody?"

"No, not yet."

"And you--"

Ilia stopped. She tried to pull her pinky finger off of Link, but it stuck. She had accidentally touched a part of his leg. She gave a few more small tugs, but it wouldn't budge. She looked at Link, wondering what to do.

"Just give a good yank on it," Link told her.

She hesitated, then jerked her arm back and broke her pinky free. She wiggled it around as if to make sure it was free.

"I have to tell you, though," Link said, "it gets hard going to the bathroom. First time, I thought my bladder was going to explode because it took fifteen minutes to finally get ready." Link glanced down at Ilia, who was now (cautiously) continuing to work on Link. "As soon as you're done, I'm leaving. Again. Before you protest," Link said, cutting Ilia off, "if I wait much longer, the Constellation will all be up, so I have to get going as soon as possible."

--

_If I'm being healed_, Link thought indignantly, _why does it feel like I'm dying?_

He was riding back across Hyrule Field, going back to Castle Town. He would rest, then try and figure out more about the Constellation. As always, he saw the babies scuttling around in shrubs and rocks, and he swore he even saw an adult in a faraway tree. He wished he could just go around and kill them all, but his current status prevented that. _Hard to go hunting with a half million injuries and a numb leg,_ he thought.

Still, he decided to kill what he could. When he saw another baby, he grabbed his bow, put an arrow onto it, and shot the thing. It pierced the Constellatia's hide with a satisfying crunch.

Unfortunately, he had done it with the exposed skin on his fingers, and his hand stuck to the bow. He pulled on it carefully, not wanting to snap the string. Epona was slowly aiming to go beside Castle Town, so Link needed to grab the reins and put her back on track.

He passed by another baby Constellatia and regretted how he couldn't have shot it. His regret changed to fear when he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, the Constellatia following him. It was quick for such a small creature, and it soon began advancing on Epona at twice his horse's speed. Link looked back at his stuck fingers and pulled all the harder. He realized that he could not free his fingers like that even if he snapped the string, so he forced himself to calm down and think of a better alternative. Using his free thumb, he attempted to pry his fingers off. He was met with little success. The Constellatia was now almost on him, raising its tail to fire a dart. Using his teeth, Link grabbed the string, held it in place, and pulled one of his hands free. He flipped backwards off of Epona, unsheathed his sword, and rolled out of the way as the creature almost barreled right into him.

The Constellatia hissed and squealed in its horrible away, stopping to look at him. Link dove forward and slashed with the Master Sword. It easily sidestepped it and aimed a dart at his face. Link rose his shield just in time, then stabbed forward again. The Constellatia leaped onto his arm, then stabbed at his arm. He smashed it off with the flat side of his blade, too hasty to readjust it, and stabbed down onto it. He got one of its legs. It was then met with a horse's hoof. Epona had decided to finish the job for him. A loud crunch echoed as the Constellatia stiffened, flailed its arms, and then died.

_Maybe I _will_ go hunting_, Link thought, _but not while this horrid medicine's side-effects last._ He sheathed his sword and climbed back onto Epona, deciding not to shoot any other Constellation he met along the way.

--

He arrived back in Castle Town soon. Epona was safe back in the stable. After the day's events, he seriously wanted to just rest and relax.

_I'm in a race against time_, he thought. _I could wake up with a half dozen of those things in my room, waiting to kill me. Yet I need my rest._

"Ah! There you are!"

Link turned and saw an old man hurrying toward him. The man had once-black hair that was now mostly gray and a mustache and beard. He looked old and wise but sharp as a tack.

"You don't know how long I was looking for you," the man continued. "And with the Constellation out, no doubt. Looks like you had either an encounter with an adult or an encounter with lots of little ones. Or both."

Link was startled at the man's knowledge of the Constellation. "Why were you looking for me?"

"Because we need a hero!" the man exclaimed. He sighed impatiently and said, "The place for talking of such things is not here. Come to my house before we get attacked."

Sudden as it was, Link decided to follow the man. He was cautious, as they were now exposed, vulnerable, and out in the open. The man led him at a hurried pace, going down winding streets until he finally arrived at a large house. The man opened the door and beckoned Link inside.

The house appeared to consist of many rooms. Several of them were piled high with pictures, items, and artifacts. The room they were in now appeared to be a wide living room with a wooden floor. Several bookshelves lined the walls, and stone tablets and amulets were scattered around tables. Several pieces of comfortable-looking furniture completed the room.

"Big house," Link commented.

"It's small. One of the smaller houses in Castle Town, actually."

Link had to remind himself that since the people of Ordon were used to such a simple lifestyle, their houses had no more room than what was necessary to live.

"I know this is extremely sudden and awkward," the man continued, "but please, sit down and make yourself comfortable. We have much to talk about regarding the Constellation and the salvation of Hyrule."

Link sat down slowly. "So, uh, my name is--"

"Is Link, yes," the man finished for him, sitting down in a plush chair opposite him. "My name is Umar. I heard about you from a friend of mine, Bola. I had know idea you were in town. I'd have found you sooner, but you were here and there and everywhere. I heard you were in the hotel, and when I went to check, you weren't. You're a hard man to find."

Link had a great number of questions to ask, so he started with, "Why were you trying to find me?"

"Just like I said. We need a hero. I've heard of all the things you've done for Hyrule, including banishing the Twilight, which not many other people know about. So if anyone can get rid of these Constellation, you can. So I was looking for you."

"And how do you know so much about the Constellation?"

"Look around the room. Go ahead, look." Link hesitantly looked at all of the items and books again. "I've always been fascinated by myths and legends, and I try to get to the bottom of them. The Constellation was just another topic that interested me. Call me paranoid, but I had suspected this sort of thing would happen for awhile now. A couple thousand years ago, some nasty bugs were sent to the heart of the world. They were digging up, trying to break free, and after so long, I had begun to think it would happen. I started thinking this many years ago, but even so, I still find myself surprised. Luckily, you happen to be a local hero, so your timing is excellent."

"And what's that artifact over there?"

Umar turned to a piece of rock with runes written on it. "An ancient slab of text apparently from the Oocca. But who cares about that? We need to discuss things." He settled into a more comfortable position and continued. "The Constellation lived a long, long time ago. As I'm pretty sure you're aware of, a man angry at the world created them to destroy it. Everything went wrong. The Constellation were feared and hated, but a group of people wielding very strong magic managed to find and weaken them, then banish them. How large do you think this group was?"

Link shrugged. "A few dozen? I don't know."

"There were five. Five people managed to do this. Now, how do you think they did this with such small numbers?"

Link began to grow slightly frustrated at his own ignorance. "I have no idea. Maybe they used their magic."

"Magic alone is not enough to best these creatures. They had something else. But before we get to that weapon, now that I think about it, you need to know about the Constellation King."

Link's hopes sank further as he realized he may have to fight a large, deadly enemy in addition to the rest of the Constellation.

"The first Constellatia the old magician created was the Constellation King. This took out a mighty part of his powers. The Constellation King would rule over the Constellation like a real king would. It would guide them and tell them what to do. I'm sure by now you've realized just how smart the Constellation really are." Link nodded and rubbed his right arm. "The Constellation are just as smart as you or I, albeit with a savage and ruthless nature. The King was smarter than all of them and was given the brains to rule. It even taught them how to hunt best. The Constellation King is likely at the bottom of the bunch of Constellation, working his way up. This is good for us, because he'll break out later."

"What's the Constellation King like?" Link asked. "Because I may have to fight him soon."

"I don't think anybody knows. It was always described as being terrible, hideous, merciless, and loving to cause pain. I don't think anyone, save the magic-wielding heroes, ever actually saw the beast without dying. But you _will_ fight it, boy, so I would take extreme caution if I were you. Now, back to the main subject, the Constellation King was the first created. The Constellation Queen came second; it was a female Constellation similar to the king. Why the old magician created a queen, I don't know. Maybe he just wanted it to seem complete. With the rest of his power, he created all the lesser Constellation you see now. I imagine it was a very long, hard, and arduous process, creating something from nothing and giving it all the vital organs and systems it needs to survive, but he did it somehow. The Constellation have been reproducing ever since."

"Why are all the babies so far from their parents?"

"They're not. But I see what you're saying." He looked out the window. "The parents are never that far from their children, or so I understand, but from what I've gathered from my many years of researching, the babies actually went out and hunted for their parents when they got old enough. It was actually a sign of respect; the Constellation are a little more cultured than you would think at first. But bear in mind that the parents are not far from the spot where their babies are, lurking just under the ground."

There was silence for a bit. "Continue what you were saying about the weapon."

"Yes. The King would rarely come out and fight itself, as a queen bee might stay in her hive. Thus, it was hard to track. So to make it easier, the magicians took a long time and a lot of their energy and created the Constellation Compass. The Compass always points itself in the direction of the King. Now, I know it might have been easier to just, say, create a magical map that would show the King's location all the time, but magic has its limits, and the Compass itself took awhile to make. The arrow flashes faster the closer the King is to make it easier."

"So, I should find the Constellation Compass." Umar nodded. "Is that the weapon you were talking about?"

"No. It was the first item they created, one that came before the weapon. The weapon I was talking about was the Sword of the New Moon. I find it irritating to use that long title all the time, so shorten it to Moon Sword if you like. The blade was magical and was designed to easily slice through a Constellatia's hide. Also, as kind of a way of mocking the magician who created the Constellation, it draws its power by how many stars are NOT visible in the sky. The less stars you can see, the more powerful the blade becomes, and it can even start working magic of its own."

"So, to answer your earlier question," Link said, catching on, "they used the Sword of the New Moon to help weaken the Constellation."

"Yes, they did. When I heard about the Compass and the sword, I went to studying them immediately. I took me awhile--a _long_ while--but finally, I think I've sorted out where the two are. And I want you to find them. The Compass is, I think, in the Gerudo Desert. From what I gathered, the Gerudo--thieves of old--found and stole it. It was being held in a luxurious museum, but the Gerudo decided that they wanted it for whatever reason. I doubt they comprehended its function, but it now sits in the desert. I don't know where, specifically, but in a 'Chamber of the Compass.' The Moon Sword was given to the Gorons because of their help during the battles against the Constellation, including working harder to supply everyone with bombs and weapons. The leader of the Gorons then, Dargal, put it in what is known as Dargal's Crater. It rested safe there until people tried to steal it. Instead of being admired, they hid it deeper into the crater and placed traps along the way. It's going to be extremely difficult to get them both, but you have to."

"Should I get the Compass first or the sword?"

"The decision is your own. However, I highly recommend getting the Moon Sword first, because the Constellation are popping out at a ferocious rate, and you don't know when the King will come. At this pace, the King should be out in a week, maybe a bit less. With the sword, you should be able to defeat any Constellation in your way easily. Find the Compass afterwards."

Link stood up. "Thank you for all your knowledge. This is definitely going to save Hyrule. I suppose I'd better get going."

Before he left, Umar said, "You're limping."

Link stopped and looked down at his leg. "Yeah, one of the babies got my leg. I've been taking medicines to try and cure it. It doesn't go away on its own, does it?"

Umar shook his head. "That was partly what made the Constellation such efficient killers. Even if their prey escaped, they would be easily spotted and even more easily killed with a limp. I think there was a cure for it long ago, but nobody knows what it is now. Add to your list of things to do finding a cure for that limp."

Link nodded. "I'll do that. Thank you, and goodbye."


	6. Chapter 5: The Death Mountain Range

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah, yeah. I know. Late, as usual. I think the reason these chapters may come so late is because of a lack of reviews. So, if you want an update sooner, be sure to leave a review!

--

Link left Umar's house and leaned against the wall. "The Sword of the New Moon and the Constellation Compass," he muttered to himself. "Where do I start?"

Umar had suggested getting the Moon Sword first, but how would he get that? It was in Dargal's Crater, somewhere in the Death Mountain Range...he didn't know where that was, but he guessed the Gorons would. So he'd head to Death Mountain and go inquire of the Goron Elders. But the Constellation Compass...? The Gerudo Desert was vast; he knew that from his experience in the Arbiter's Grounds. Maybe it would be easier to let the King come out all on his own.

He tried to pull himself away from the wall, but his neck got stuck. Letting out a groan, he yanked several times and flung himself down on the ground. _This medicine is not working,_ he thought angrily. He would take another variety as soon as possible.

--

Epona, despite all the running, was ready to go as always. She was a rather restless horse who seemed to have endless energy. Normally, this energy would be irritating, but it worked for him now. He grinned, got Epona out of the stable, and prepared to ride off to Death Mountain.

Death Mountain was not so far away. One just had to go east from Castle Town until they arrived at Kakariko Village, then head up the Death Mountain Trail. Unfortunately, Epona could not go far up the trail because horses simply couldn't climb nets and ladders. He hoped there was a way the Gorons could protect her, because he would have to leave her vulnerable and unprotected to get to Death Mountain.

He had stopped taking the old medicine and gone with the medicine that had the side-effect "fear of beds." He wouldn't meet many beds on his journey, so it worked out pretty well for him. He remembered what Umar had said about there once being a solution to heal paralysis from Constellation. He had no idea where to find such a solution. _Is my leg going to be paralyzed my whole life?_

It took, maybe, half an hour to reach Kakariko Village. The village was become more and more restored since the whole Twilight incident. During that time, only a few people lived there; the rest had been killed off by the shadow beasts or fled. Now, it didn't look like so much of a ghost town. Grass and plants were sprouting here and there, damaged houses were being repaired, and more and more people came back. The Gorons were still there, too; Link assumed that they felt it was their responsibility to protect the weak humans from the Constellation.

Even so, like Castle Town, nobody was out and about, save for the Gorons. Some of them turned their heads in his direction when he came riding in.

"It's the human!" one of them shouted.

Among Gorons, Link was known as "The Human." The human who had saved their tribe's patriarch, Darbus, and returned Death Mountain to peace. Darbus himself had no idea that a small human had saved him, and nobody had told him for fear of denting his pride.

"Are you sure you all should be out and about?" Link asked, slowing Epona to a stop in front of one. "As I'm sure you know by now, there are a lot of little annoying creatures out these days."

The Goron shook his head. "We are not so weak, human. Gorons are made of stronger stuff. I have had many a dart shot at me, and many a dart have bounced off."

Link hopped off Epona and stood next to the Goron. He was completely dwarfed in comparison. The Goron stood about a good three feet taller than him. And that was the average size for a Goron; Link heard stories of Gorons growing as big as Death Mountain's summit. Perhaps the fact that Gorons ate rocks contributed to that. Not just little pebbles, either; some Gorons tore chunks off of boulders bigger than them like it was steak.

"Do you know where Dargal's Crater is?" Link asked. "I heard a weapon that can defeat Constellation easily is found there. Constellation are the little critters running around the place these days."

The Goron looked puzzled. "Dargal's Crater? I heard of a famous Goron by the name of Dargal once, but I don't know about a crater named after him. You should go ask the elders."

Link thought it would come to that but had tried his luck. "And since Epona, my horse, can't go up Death Mountain, is there any way she can be protected?"

"Of course!" the Goron boomed. "A stable was created not long ago. We will put your horse in there and guard her with our lives."

Link thanked him and followed him over to a stable connected to a building that looked like the Elde Inn. There were already some Gorons guarding the stable. A few horses were inside the stables. Link put Epona in there and walked inside the inn to rest for a little bit.

The first thing he saw was a bed. He thought nothing of it at first, but as he got closer to it, he felt uncomfortable. He soon realized that the medicine was taking its effect. A fear of beds..._well, I'm going to show this stupid medicine that I am _not_ afraid of something you sleep on._ Link stood next to the bed and prepared to sit down on it. He couldn't bring himself to do it. The paraonoia was overwhelming. He flung himself onto the bed and felt like he was sitting on hot iron.

"Can I rent you a room?"

Link jumped as a brown-haired lady talked to him. "Um, no, I was just coming in here for a brief rest. I'm going up Death Mountain soon."

"Are you okay? You look a little uncomfortable."

And he was. He was constantly shifting his body, unbased panic rising in him. "No, I'm fine," he said, though the strange fear in his voice was very evident. "So, have there been any attacks of those annoying bugs here in Kakariko?"

She nodded. "The Gorons have done a very good job of keeping us safe, but obviously, not many people are coming to Kakariko Village at a time like this. The Gorons have even taken on the large ones."

_I've gotta get some of these guys with me,_ Link thought. He stood up faster than a normal person might. He knew the woman was probably thinking, "What kind of nut just stepped through our door?"

"Well, I have to get going," Link said quickly. "Thank you. Bye."

He limped out the door and exhaled. Beds. How scary.

He went up the Death Mountain trail then, trying to escape the source of his paraonoia. It was much harder to climb up the ledges and nets with only one working leg, so he was huffing and puffing by the time he finally reached Death Mountain's base. Fortunately, the Gorons were trying to be more friendly to the humans and were building ladders and stairways to go up the mountain instead of hurling the humans into the air. Still, Link found it exceedingly difficult to make it up to the top. He was literally crawling into the room where the elders were.

The elders consisted of four old and wise Gorons: Gor Coron, Gor Ebizo, Gor Amoto, and Gor Liggs. Gor Coron was thought of as the unofficial leader of the four. Link had had to do a sumo wrestling match with him once to gain his trust.

"Human?" a Goron asked.

"I need...to talk...to the elders...." Link panted, getting onto his knees.

A Goron walked into a back room, which led to the Goron Mines, and disappeared for a bit. Link waited a few minutes and caught his breath during the meantime. By the time the four elderly Gorons showed up, he was back on his feet.

"Link," Gor Coron asked, "what brings you here? You look like you've been through a few fights," he noted.

Link nodded. "I need to know where Dargal's Crater is."

Gor Coron frowned. "I'm not sure I can tell you that. It's a well-protected secret, you understand. How important is it?"

"It involves stopping the Constellation, these bug things, and overall saving the world. I need the Sword of the New Moon. It's the only way we can stop the Constellation King from appearing and destroying everything."

The Goron Elder looked thoughtful. "In that case, I'll tell you. Long ago, we connected the Goron Mines to Dargal's Crater. In the room with the ancient hero's weapon, there are three small hollows in the back wall. Three stones fit into these hollows. A Red Stone, a Yellow Stone, and a Black Stone. You must put the Yellow Stone all the way on the left, the Black Stone on the right, and the Red Stone in the middle. This opens up the passage to Dargal's Crater." He frowned again. "But be careful; if you get the stones in the wrong order, fire will appear and devour you. The passage to the crater is not so easy, either. I urge you to watch your step, because every room is a trap."

Link nodded. Going in with a limp may not be the best idea, but he had to go in anyway. "Where are these stones?" he asked.

Gor Ebizo, Gor Amoto, and Gor Liggs stepped forward. They presented him what appeared to be brightly-colored stones no bigger than his thumb nail. "These are the three stones," Gor Coron said. "Take them to the hero's room and do not lose them. Be extremely careful on your journey."

Link accepted the stones and put them in a safe pocket. "Thanks. I will. Or at least try to."

And with that, Link set off.


	7. Chapter 6: Dargal's Crater

Link had been into the Goron Mines once before, and it wasn't a forgiving place. The entire place felt like a giant furnace. Pillars of lava blasted from the sea of fire below, and if you were unlucky enough to be above that spot when it erupted, you were not leaving the mines. Monsters such as Dodongos, the famed enemies of the Gorons, and Fire Slugs dominated the caverns. If you weren't careful, a slug might drop right on top of you and knock you into the lava, ending your journey forever.

It was into this pit of hell that Link was now attempting to cross with a crippled leg. Admittedly, the place had become a little less dangerous (which didn't say much) since the Fused Shadow business had been taken care of; there were no more Bulblins harassing his every step, and the mountain had "calmed down," so to speak. Even so, one mistake would mean instant death, and Link's partial paralysis made up for the previous dangers.

The first room was tricky in and of itself. You first had to jump across some rock pillars and bridges while avoiding the pillars of lava. Next came a part where you had to step on a switch, which shut off a jet of flames nearby, dash past the shut-off flames before they returned, and repeat the process a couple more times while avoiding the local monsters. Steeling himself, Link limped down the first path and stood before the rock bridge a few feet away.

_How I'll make this jump, I don't know_, Link thought to himself. He would have easily been able to clear such a jump normally, but the fact of the matter was that it is very hard to jump with one leg and have the other leg dangle limply...especially with a pit of lava waiting to welcome you should you fail. A column of fire roared from the lava, and Link was determined to jump once it died down. He pictured the jump in his mind a few times. Supposedly, he would cling onto the very edges of the rock with his hands and pull himself up before the fire appeared again and seared his backside. It seemed easy in his mind; he had no idea if it would really work.

The fire descended back down. Link's good leg twitched a few times, eager for the jump, but the rest of his body wasn't so willing. After a few slow breaths, he put his foot on the edge of his side of the land and launched himself forward.

His fingertips grabbed the very edge of the rock, and he slid dangerously down, holding on by one hand. His whole body tremored from the effort. He looked down at the lava to make sure it wasn't going to erupt again, and to his chagrin, found it bubbling furiously. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed onto the bridge with his other hand and pulled himself up, bit by bit, as fast as he could. When his chest was over the surface, he lifted his good leg over the edge, then pulled his crippled one up just as the fire burst behind him. He sat there and rested for a bit, panting. _Hopefully, the rest of this adventure will be less eventful,_ he thought.

Nonetheless, he knew he couldn't rest long; every second counted in the race against the Constellation King. He limped to the end of the stone bridge and faced another jump. Fortunately, he had the advantage of higher ground this time, and so when he made the next jump, it wasn't nearly as perilous (although it was still dangerous). He caught himself chest-high with the surface and pulled himself up easily with both hands. His next concern was the time-related fire jets. They weren't so difficult before, but limping wasn't nearly as fast as running. He had to be quick if he didn't want to become a human barbecue.

Something felt missing, though. Link realized what it was when he encountered the switch and resisted the urge to swear. The switches were heavy and rusted; you had to put something heavy enough on them to activate them. Last time, Link had worn the Iron Boots on them. He didn't take them with him this time--they were too heavy to simply carry around safely and comfortably. Midna had taken care of his items on his first trip through the mines, so he hadn't had to worry about it much. Link glared at the switch like it was his mortal enemy.

_This doesn't mean I'm stuck, though_, he thought with a glimmer of hope. _I only need something that weighs enough._ He looked around, trying to find one of the ever-present rocks lying around. He found one the height of his calf and slammed it onto the switch. It buckled slightly, but didn't activate. Frustrated, he grabbed a slightly smaller rock and piled it on top. It buckled farther, close to activation, but remained still. Now angry, he kicked at the switch with his foot. To his surprise, the final shock of weight was enough to push it all the way down, where it clicked and stayed down. Knowing he didn't have much time, he ran as fast as he could through the next section. While he got through with time to spare, the next one took longer and included a couple of jumps, which he was growing to hate. He repeated the process with the second one after finding two more large stones. This time, he wasn't so lucky. Halfway through his second jump, the fire returned, burning his back. Link hissed in pain and nearly missed the edge.

_Now what?_ he thought. He couldn't climb directly back up for fear of lighting up like a torch, and below was lava. Very cautiously, he inched his way around the edge until he got to another side. Before he could pull himself up, a Fire Slug plopped down from the ceiling right next to his hand. Link stopped breathing for a moment. If it gave off its usual small explosion in defense, he would be pitched into the lava below. It eyed him for awhile, apparently unsure of what to make of him. Link hoped it would hurry up and lose interest, or better yet, decide its sluggy life was not worth living and throw itself off the edge. His worst fears were confirmed when its body tightened, ready to release the burst. Link snatched his hand away at the last second. Before it could do it again, he grabbed back onto the edge with his right hand, gripped his sword with the left, and hacked it in half. The danger averted, he crawled up and kicked the remains into the lava.

The rest of the trip to the old room that once held the Hero's Bow wasn't quite as dangerous as the first few events, although Link did encounter much hardship not because of the hazardous environment, but because he didn't have his Iron Boots along. He had the Hero's Bow itself, but without the Iron Boots, he couldn't magnetize himself to the walls, and because of that, he had to seek alternate routes which he privately vowed never to take again. One "alternate route" involved climbing up the huge machine in the center of the mines. The machine swung magnetized platforms around to different areas, and previously, all Link had had to do was equip his Iron Boots to become stuck to them and enjoy the ride. He nearly fell a few times; once he did, but was miraculously saved by a jutting-out ledge.

At last, he made it to the room Gor Coron had told him about. He sat down, determined to rest for a good while. He was tired, his leg was bothering him, and the heat from the mines was not helping. He grabbed a canteen hanging from his belt and drained some of the spring water in it down his throat, soothing the dryness. While he was at it, he splashed a bit on his face to cool himself off. Trying to control his breathing, he looked around the room for three hollows. To his left was the empty treasure chest where he had gotten the Hero's Bow from. In front of him was a metal bridge leading to another area. At first glance, there was nothing odd about the walls. When he looked above the chest, he noticed some irregularities in the stone wall. He scooted over to it and looked closer. He was right--there were three hollows in the shape of a triangle. Link was just relieved that it wasn't somewhere above the lava where he couldn't reach. He rested a few more minutes, took another swig of spring water, and stood before the hollows. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small stones. Just as he was about to set the first one in, he remembered something Gor Coron had warned him about.

_Three stones fit into these hollows. A Red Stone, a Yellow Stone, and a Black Stone._ His memory jumped ahead to another part. _But be careful; if you get the stones in the wrong order, fire will appear and devour you._

_Why does everything have to be so complicated?_ Link wondered. He knew that by showing he knew the correct order, he would likely have had the Goron's consent, proving that he bore no ill will, but he was sick of complications. _Let's see...the center was red. I know that because fire is red, and it's all around this mine...and next came...next came..._ His hopes began to sink. He really had no idea what came next. He had memorized a small formula before leaving Goron City, but now that he thought back to it, he couldn't quite remember how it went. His brain began treating it like a riddle, trying to see if the order of colors could symbolize anything. _Fire is chief here, so it's in the center...black may symbolize death or bad luck, which you'd have to get through _first_ to reach the yellow, which may symbolize gold...but that's too farfetched! Or maybe the colors just get darker, so yellow would be on the left and black on the right...._

Link eventually concluded that he'd have to take a wild guess. He had no idea where, when, or how the fire would come and "devour" him, which meant he couldn't just throw himself on the ground to let it pass over him. For all he knew, "fire" meant "rising lava." (He hoped it didn't.) Still, he needed some safety measures, so he placed the black one in the left slot and put the yellow one partially in the right, but not enough to activate anything. Holding his sword out, he stood as far away as he could and nudged the yellow stone into place.

The effect was instantaneous. Fire erupted from above, below, and both the left and right. It passed inches from Link's face, sending him backward and making him feel like his eyeballs were on fire. As he laid on the ground, rubbing his eyes, he felt it was pretty safe to say that was _not_ the correct combination. After a few seconds, the fire died down and stopped altogether.

Shaken by the event, he carefully replaced the yellow and black stones, using the same safety measures he had taken before. This time, the black stone clicked into place perfectly, and there were no blasts of flame. The room rumbled slightly as the wall with the stones slowly opened from the bottom up, revealing a hidden tunnel. Relieved, Link entered and followed its length.

At the end of the tunnel was a wide hole in the ground--Link guessed it had a diameter of about ten feet. A wall covered in ropes was the way down, so Link lowered himself into the hole and began the gradual descent.

When he reached the bottom, he was greeted by a long hall with surprisingly straight and smooth walls. As was usual, lava filled the bottom of the room. Strange rock patterns lined the walls and created narrow paths over the lava. At the edge of the cliff Link was standing on was a sign also carved straight out of stone and had the familiar Hylian runes etched into it. Link bent over and read it:

_Before you are five rooms. The first four are tests, and the last holds a treasure. This treasure was gifted to us by five noble humans, that it might be used for good once again some day. However, evil men tried to come and steal this treasure, and so we hid it deeper into the mountain and place four rooms full of traps to guard it. To the thief, turn back now if you do not want to pay a terrible price. To the hero, steel yourself and go forward with courage. In this first room, we shall test your speed and balance. Only one who can pass all four tests is worthy of the treasure._

Link gulped as he studied the path he was to take. First he had to walk over a high and narrow bridge that twisted and turned for about twenty feet. Then he had to hop across tall stone pillars which were cruelly thin. Finally, he had to use his agility and reflexes to quickly work his way up elaborately carved stones with handles on them. Steeling himself as the sign commanded, he hopped nimbly onto the bridge.

He found it wasn't quite so bad, shuffling along bit by bit. He had natural balance, and all his training over the years helped a lot. For a moment, he thought it would be pretty easy after all.

That's when he heard it.

It sounded like some great beast roaring in anger, but he knew it couldn't be an animal. Turning around swiftly, he was horrified to find a wall of flames blocking off the way back, and even worse, it was moving toward him. Now he understood the "speed" part. Cursing his bad leg, which he could use only a little bit because of his medicine, he shuffled as fast as he could, not daring to look behind him.

Next he came upon the pillars. He put on as big a burst of speed as he could afford, then leapt onto the first pillar. Rather than kicking off with his other leg, he made a quick but strong kick with the same leg, skipping across the pillars in some fashion. To his relief, he had little trouble landing on the tiny spaces.

The final part came up. Grabbing a bar hewn out of stone, he swung himself up to a hollowed-out rock big enough for a man to crouch in, then leapt on top of the rock the bar was in. From there, he jumped onto a ledge that led to another narrow bridge. To his horror, the bridge went straight towards the wall of fire. However, there was another ledge leading to the exit at the end, and the fire hadn't arrived yet. Swinging his bad leg forward with his still-working thigh, he went as quickly as he could toward that ledge. When he reached it, he gave one good jump and clung onto the ledge. His fingertips just barely gripped it. Not wanting to feel the pain of his legs on fire, he pulled himself up and swung his legs over. He sat down, panting, and watched the fire continue on its course. He almost hadn't made it. Taking another small swig from his canteen, he continued to the next room.

The second room was much smaller than the first. The beginning of it was circular and enclosed, with four different paths leading to flat stone bridges. There was another sign in this room, too. Link read it carefully:

_We congratulate you for passing the first test. However, there are three challenges left. This one will challenge your logic. There are four paths, but only one leads to the next room. The other three lead to ruin. The true path will lack something the others have._

Link studied the four bridges carefully. The first one was an ordinary bridge, and as far as Link could tell, there was nothing special about it. The second bridge's center was split into five pieces that moved back and forth, some quicker than the others. The third bridge didn't have a center at all; there was just a wide gap leading down to a river of lava. The last one was straight and flat but had fireballs freqeuntly zooming over it, threatening to kill anyone who stood in their way.

_The true path will lack something the others have,_ Link thought. He was never much good with riddles. Perhaps there was a reason he had the Triforce of _Courage_ and not the Triforce of _Wisdom_ like Princess Zelda had--she had explained what the mark on the back of his left hand truly meant some months ago.

After ten minutes of careful studying, Link had to conclude that the first path lacked _danger_. The second path put you in mortal danger of falling, the third one had no feasible means of crossing, and the fourth had fireballs zooming all over the place. The first path had been made blank just to confuse him. Hoping his intuition was on to something, he stepped cautiously onto the bridge all the way to the left.

Every step he took made him think a meteor was going to crash into him, which kept him looking around for all possible signs of danger. He was halfway across the bridge when he stopped. _I can't do this. I have to be absolutely sure of the path before I wind up killing myself._

He started on back. Before he could get very far, the bridge weakened. Link flung himself forward, knowing the bridge was going to collapse. It did. The center crumbled and fell like a wafer being mashed in the hand. Link scrambled for the edge and grabbed at it for dear life. Bits of the edge fell off, forcing him to grab again until he was sure he wasn't going to fall. _That wasn't the right path at all._ The trap had to be activated by being right in the center, which left you virtually no option but to fall and die. Link had been lucky enough not to step any further, or the trap would have activated sooner. On the way back, he must have accidentally tripped it. _I'm getting sick of pulling myself up dead ends,_ he thought bitterly. He climbed back up and walked to the circular room, where he read and reread the sign, trying to see if it gave any hints.

Ten minutes later, he still had nothing. The first path clearly wasn't it, but he didn't feel like going through trial and error to find which ones crumbled and which ones didn't. That would easily end in death. _The true path will lack something the others have._

As Link glared at the third bridge--second from the right--it seemed to hit him like it had been hiding in his subconscious the entire time. _The true path lacks a center!_ All the other bridges had apparent ways to cross. The third one had to be hiding something. Feeling butterflies in his stomach, he walked down the third path.

He stood on the edge. Nothing happened that indicated it was the correct one or would allow him passage. Experimentally, he crouched down and attempted to wave his hand through the wide gap. To his utter astonishment, dirt and pebbles swiftly joined together to create more of the bridge. When he lifted his hand, it disappeared. Grinning with the satisfaction that comes from solving a difficult puzzle, Link stepped forward. The bridge formed under his feet. He was at the other side in no time.

_This is the semifinal test,_ the next sign said when he read it. _Now we test your courage. Before you lies fiery danger._ It was true; the entire room was filled with lava and had no visible exit. _If you are truly courageous, this should seem as nothing. Fall into the lava._

That instruction stunned him a little. For a moment, he wondered if it was actually testing his gullibility. He picked up a nearby pebble and dropped it into the lava. It fell in with a _sploosh_ and sizzled immediately. That wasn't encouraging. If a rock would fry itself in that lava, surely a human being would, too. _But that's what they want me to think._ The only way to the next room was to obey them, he was sure of that. Holding his arms out, he fell forward into the lava.

When splashed into a warm liquid, he couldn't help but open his eyes. He wasn't in lava...he was in water. For a moment, he floated underwater, too stunned to do anything. When his senses came to him, he swam back up and took a deep breath.

Above him was the lava, churning and boiling, apparently hovering in midair. It hadn't fazed him at all. Thirsty, he gulped up the water. It didn't taste that good and was warm, but he was too tired and thirsty to care. He crawled out of the pool of water and followed a tunnel into the next room.

The last testing room was wide and circular with no special features. Enchanted fire blocked off the door leading to the Moon Sword. Sighing, Link read the last sign.

_The last challenge will test your battle prowess. If you can beat the foe that will appear, you will truly be worthy of wielding the legendary weapon._

Anxious to get it over with, Link stepped into the middle of the room. He heard a whooshing sound from above. When he looked up to investigate the source, he realized it was a huge lizard falling down at him. He leapt backwards before it squashed him.

The lizard was like a huge lizalfos--twice the size of Link--only with black scales and silver armor. A crest arched off the back of its head. It carried a large sword that appeared to be made directly from stone, yet well-fashioned. Overall, an intimidating enemy.

Despite the weight of the sword, the Lizard Boss, as Link had unofficially called it in his head, swung it unnaturally quickly at Link's head. When he raised his Master Sword to block it, it nearly knocked the weapon out of his hands. If it wasn't a sacred sword, he knew it would have shattered. He barely had time to block three more blows, each just as quick as the first. It advanced on him, forcing him to inch back, which wasn't easy with his near-paralyzed leg. Taking the offensive now, he stabbed at the belly of the monster with trained swiftness. It blocked it easily. He swiped at it four more times, trying to go for whatever the Lizard Boss left exposed, but the monster was too quick. It swung at Link's head again, and he ducked to avoid it. He felt the sword skirt along the top of his hat. It didn't damage the hat, but it did knock it to the corner of the room. Ignoring it, Link pressed his attack again.

The battle raged for five long minutes, neither side appearing to gain much of an advantage over the other. They furiously exchanged blows, blocking, parrying, and countering whenever they needed to. Link was seriously tired now, after dragging his leg up Death Mountain, through the Goron Mines, past absurd traps, and around a wide battlefield with a giant lizard. He didn't know for how much longer he could go.

He remembered the Hero's Spirit teaching him seven special techniques for battle. He went over them quickly while fending off blow after furious blow. The Back Slice was impossible with his crippled leg; the Lizard Boss was to tall for a Helm Splitter, and he didn't think a Shield Attack would faze him anyway; the Jump Strike would take too long, and it was past the time for the Mortal Draw. There was, however, the Great Spin. Link was tired and crippled, but he still hadn't suffered much damage, which gave him the ability the generate a field of powerful energy with his signature spin attack.

When the Lizard Boss drew back to attack again, Link seized his chance and spun around without charging up his strength. A wave of scarlet energy flowed from his sword. The Lizard Boss blocked the strike from his sword, but couldn't stop the energy from harming him and knocking him off balance. Link followed it up with a stab, then a downwards slice, and finally a jump attack which was powerful enough to send the monster on its back. Leaping up, sword raised, Link plunged his blade into the creature's chest with the first hidden skill he had learned: The Ending Blow. The Lizard Boss moaned and was no more.

To Link's surprise (a feeling he was getting used to today), as soon as it died, it crumbled into dust. It was just an enchanted monster, after all. They were probably created every time someone entered the fourth challenge.

The fires around the door ceased, giving him passage. Grateful, Link stumbled through the door and found himself staring down a long hallway. Hoping there were no more traps, he limped down it, forcing himself to keep walking. His first goal was so close.

As he neared the end of the hallway, a final room came into view. He saw a sword in a pedestal in the center of it. Entranced, he drew it out and held it in front of him. The blade was very long--almost four feet--but astoundingly light. The handle was a foot long itself and made of blue metal wrapped in black cloth. The handle was wrapped in such a way that the blue showed in diamond patterns. The crossguard was completely round and dark blue, just like a new moon. At the base of the pedestal was the sheath for the sword. It was dark purple with black lines twisting across it. For awhile, it looked like he'd be carrying two swords with him. His first mission had been accomplished.


	8. Chapter 7: Escape from the Crater

Link looked around the small, stone room. He didn't see any danger. No Torch Slugs, no more traps, nothing there to eat him while he was unawares...

Satisfied, Link plopped onto the ground, bowed his head, and started snoozing.

He woke up a few hours later (he guessed). He felt refreshed, despite the imaginary Midna he heard berating him for sleeping on the job, and his throat was parched. Stretching, he took a gulp from his canteen, cooling his throat down. Next he pulled out the strips of dried meat and began eating.

While eating his lunch (or dinner, or possibly breakfast - he couldn't tell so far down into the earth), he studied the Moon Sword. What powers did it possess, exactly? Was it indestructible like his own Master Sword? He turned it over, admiring the sheen. In all the years it had been hidden down in the chamber, it hadn't accumulated any rust, scratches, or dirt. A wondrous blade, indeed.

Some sand and a few pebbles dropped onto Link's head. He paused with the meat halfway to his mouth and looked up. A crack was growing in the ceiling. Another trap? Link hastily got to his feet, backed away, and held the Moon Sword ready for a strike. Something thumped against the crack, pushing it wider. Something wanted to get in.

With a crash, a black, shiny, scorpion-like creature fell into the center of the room. It writhed, trying to get back to its feet. The sight was almost pathetic, but Link knew better than to underestimate a Constellatia. Before it noticed him, he lunged forward and cut it in half. It screeched, twitched, and moved no more, purple blood trickling from its severed body.

_If this one found its way in, how many more are there?_ he wondered. He also remembered what Umar said about the parents being close by their offspring. Before he could find out where the angry mama was, he turned and fled from the chamber.

He arrived back in the room he had fought the Lizard Boss in. Already, there were two adult Constellation wandering about in the room. He heard a whistling sound to his left. The stinger on a young Constellatia's tail had been launched. There was no way he could react in time...

But he did. The Moon Sword moved blindingly fast and swatted the stinger away. Had it moved on its own? Even the two adult Constellation seemed confused.

There was a crash right beside him. Link flinched and jumped away. It was another Lizard Boss. All these Constellation and now this guy, too? But the huge lizard ignored him and swung at one of the adults, slicing it clean in half. Link cringed inwardly at the creature's innards. Even they didn't look natural.

Several offspring landed around him, tails arched. Three lunged at him systematically while the other two shot at him. The Moon Sword swung about in a fury with Link barely willing it to do anything. All five missiles fell to the ground. The two surviving offspring turned and fled while they waited for their stingers to grow back.

The remaining adult and the Lizard Boss were really going at it. The Constellation had already lost two legs and a mandible, and the Lizard Boss had a gash along its side where the enemy creature had presumably torn into it. Feeling a kinship with the scaly monster that had just tried to kill him not long ago, he decided to assist it. On the simple premise that he wanted the Constellation dead, the Moon Sword released a dark blue rotating disk. As soon as the disk hit its target, the Constellatia burst into deep blue flames, gurgled, then fell over and didn't move. Its job done, the Lizard Boss turned back into dust and rose to the ceiling.

_The Master Sword can't do that_, Link thought, feeling somewhat guilty for betraying his sword companion of old. When no more Constellation appeared, he moved into the next room which held the pool of water and the fake lava roiling above. His hopes sank as he realized there was no visible way out. But there had to be one - nobody would create a chamber with no way to leave. He looked around the room and felt the walls for anything; a hidden staircase, maybe.

"Why can't the dungeons I enter just be a straight hallway to the ancient artifact and back out?" Link growled. "Why is it _always_ a half million puzzles before I get anywhere?"

He continued searching for ten more minutes, but his searched turned up nothing until he went back to the pool of water. He stared at his reflection, mentally asking his other self the answer to the enigma. And, to his surprise, his other self responded.

Not literally - rather, Link noticed an inconsistency at the pool's bottom. It looked like a circular hole. Not just a depression or an accidental chipping away; a perfect circle. Following his intuition, he dove into the pool, swam to the bottom, and let out his breath so that he sank. He put his hand into the hole and felt around. There was a narrow space in the center, ideal for putting a sword of a certain shape into. Unsheathing his Moon Sword, which he hung around his right hip (without Midna around to magically hold all his items, he had to improvise locations for his new gear), he stabbed it into the groove. Instantly the water brightened up and began glowing. Link wondered if maybe he should get out, but before he could do anything, the water stretched up and out of the pool, carrying him with it. Desperately hoping he wasn't about to die, he decided to trust the airborne stream and stayed put. The stream lifted him up through the lava and back onto land. The moment his feet touched ground, the water receded back through the lava.

There were no Constellation in the room, or so he thought. Looking behind him, he noticed a group of adult Constellation baking in the lava. Unlike him, the lava had evidently deemed the creatures not worthy to pass and held them. That said, the lava didn't seem to be fazing them much. Link theorized that if they were able to withstand whatever was at the heart of the earth, they could withstand lava. With five strokes of his sword, too fast to follow, he hit each of the Constellation with a disk and killed them instantly.

Abandoning the floating monsters, he turned and walked back to the seemingly impossible-to-cross bridge. As before, dirt and sand formed beneath his feet with every step he took. On the other side, an adult Constellation rounded the corner and lunged at him. Link prepared a strike, but it instead fell into nothingness. The bridge had failed to form for it. Although he was eternally grateful that it had, he still wondered why nothing seemed to be going right for them.

Various facts and bits of information came floating back to him. For one, the entire testing area was designed to protect the Sword of the New Moon, which probably meant it also was not friendly to Constellation. For another, the Constellation were smarter than they looked, which meant the traps had to be equally tricky and deceptive.

Stingers launched at him from all directions. Without even seeing where they were, he blocked them all with the Moon Sword and fired the blue disks in return. The baby Constellation dropped from the walls and fell into the lava far below. Link got a warm fuzzy feeling as he realized he had turned into a nearly unstoppable beast.

When he reached the other side, three adults leaped at him, mandibles outstretched. Link sliced through all three of them with one slice each. They fell in two halves behind him. The purple blood slid off his sword as if it was desperate to rid itself of the repulsive substance.

As he entered the next room, the Constellation took one look at him and fled. He never thought he'd see the day when an assembly of huge, scary monsters turned and ran. He thought of making a snippy remark about it to the Constellation but thought better of it.

He came to the end of the ledge, looking down at the fire, traps, and scurrying beasts below. More importantly was another narrow groove in between his feet. Stepping back, he plunged the Moon Sword into the groove. Stones and pebbles flew out from the walls (sometimes forcing unwilling Constellation into the lava) and began forming themselves into a structure in front of him, readjusting their own shapes if they needed to. When they were done, a staircase lay before him, stretching straight down to the other end of the room. Link sighed in relief; so he didn't have to go through all that garbage again after all. He walked down the steps, feeling somewhat haughty as the rest of the Constellation ran from him. As soon as he stepped off the staircase, it broke apart and drifted back to the walls.

Link climbed back up the roped wall, glad to be free of the four tests. When he reached the top, he sat down and panted, catching his breath. _Boy, am I ready for a long nap after this._ He wiped the sweat off his brow, stood up, and continued limping to the exit.

The rest of the journey was fairly uneventful. He had to stop and rest frequently - his limbs were dead enough already, and he didn't want to risk toppling over a cliff and into a lake of lava. He wouldn't just lose his own life - all hope of saving Hyrule would likely vanish in a puff of smoke. No Moon Sword, no quick and easy way to kill Constellation.

At long last, he limped up the rocky slope and back into the round room where the Gorons had been. Only, there were no Gorons there anymore. The room was completely empty. He supposed that was fair enough, seeing as there had been a large influx of Constellation. Still, he wanted somebody to talk to, to wish him well on his journey, to give him rest and supply him. He walked towards one of the tunnels burrowed into the walls of the room. Maybe he'd find some Gorons there.

The room seemed to explode all at once. Constellation from above, the walls, even below. He hopped back before he could be skewered and sliced the Constellation behind him through the mouth. Stingers seemed to come from the walls, so many that it looked pointless to try and avoid them all. However, the Moon Sword seemed to move on its own and blocked the stingers one by one, making Link move faster than humanly possible. Four adult Constellation leapt at him at once. He killed the first two, then flipped back to avoid the other two when it became clear even the sword couldn't keep up, as it was still dealing with an onslaught of stingers.

More and more adult Constellation rushed into the room. Now Link understood exactly why they had fled from him before. It wasn't just because they valued their lives; they were planning an ambush for him. With so many adults arriving on the scene and so many stingers to put up with, he knew he wouldn't get anywhere if the stingers kept coming. Every so often, he released a disk of energy in the direction of a stinger, ending the shooter for good. He killed one of the adults when it came near him, but if too many came close he retreated to another spot. Slowly the number of stingers thinned. Even so, his body was slowing down from all the exhaustion. Even if he'd had a sword just as strong as the Moon Sword to slice through the Constellation with, he'd never have lasted this long with it. Only the Moon Sword's mysterious powers allowed him to move fast enough to defend himself. One of the adults leapt at him and swung its legs. Too tired to dodge properly, he leaned to the side, resulting in a gash on his left shoulder.

Desperate, he looked outside. It was night out. How many stars were in the sky? Was his sword being affected from where he was? If so, he didn't notice. He slowly limped over to it, still blocking attacks as he could. When he got close enough, he stared up into the night sky.

There wasn't a star in it.

The proof came when the blade of the Moon Sword shone with a blue sheen. _Direct exposure to a starless sky must power it up even more._ He looked back at the charging Constellation. _Now, what kinds of powers does this sword possess?_

He tried to channel his thoughts and wishes into the sword. _Show me something I can use, sword. Show me some of your power._ Inspiration poured into him, giving him new ideas. Link went with the first one he thought of. He didn't know what it would bring or even why it would work; he just wanted to try. Raising his sword, he swung it in a hurricane of blows, too fast to track but not hitting anything. Thick crescents of the same blue energy he'd used before launched off every strike, and every strike was aimed at a Constellatia. The circular room was filled with light and energy, changing its shape as the force of the blasts eroded the terrain. When he stopped swinging a few seconds later, there was hardly anything left. Large holes and cracks dotted the floor, and the once neatly round room had gained an irregular shape. _I'm sure the Gorons will forgive me when they realize I saved them all from certain destruction. I hope._

A whole minute passed, and nothing happened. No more Constellation appeared. It must have been all of them. After another minute, Goron heads started peering out of the tunnels. They stared first with horror at what had been done to their room, but then with some admiration towards Link, standing in the moonlight, sword dripping off the last of the purple Constellation blood.

"They're all gone!" one Goron called.

More Gorons poured in after that, most reacting the same way the first ones had. When Link's subconscious decided the action was over, his adrenaline faded away, leaving him slumped over and panting.

"That was freaking awesome!" one of the Gorons shouted. The other Gorons yelled their agreements.

Link stumbled forward, not sure what he was going to do next. A Goron stepped forward, scooped him up, and carried him to the elders, who had just emerged.

"You've saved us once again," Gor Coron said, smiling. "You Links have a habit of doing that, I suppose."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Darpon, would you see to it that Link receives food, shelter, and a place to sleep?"

"Wait," Link interjected. "No beds, please. Just some sheets would be nice."

The Goron carrying him, Darpon, shrugged and walked through one of the tunnels. He set him down on a rock (maybe used as a chair for Gorons?) and wandered around, providing the necessary items. Link accepted the food and sheets gratefully. He was aware Gorons ate rocks and went through a fair amount of trouble getting food for humans, so he wasn't about to refuse what they gave him (even if the fried grasshoppers and boiled chicken head were a bit...exotic).

"Will you be wanting anything else?" Darpon asked.

"Actually, I think I'll be hitting the sack in a few minutes," he replied. "And hey...if those things show up again, wake me up and I'll deal with them."

"We're capable of fending for ourselves," said Darpon with the usual Goron pride in his voice. "Although what he did earlier _was_ pretty amazing. I'd like to see you do that again sometime, only in a less threatening scenario."

"Same here. Can you have somebody wake me up before dawn? I don't want to sleep in too late. Working against a clock, you see."

Darpon nodded. "I will see to it. Sleep well, little human."


	9. Chapter 8: Scavenger Hunt

Link walked across his yard, Ordon Sword in hand. The village kids had asked for another training lesson, and who was he to refuse? He watched them run into his yard from the entrance to the village, smiles on their faces (except for Malo, who didn't appear to be able to care any less). They skidded to a stop in front of him, looking up at him expectantly.

"I heard you learned a new sword technique," Talo chimed.

"Yeah, show us!" Beth cooed.

Link always enjoyed performing for the kids. Raising his sword, which was now the Moon Sword, Link turned to the practice scarecrow to his left and prepared to attack. He jumped and swung the blade down, cleaving the scarecrow in half. The spectators shouted with joy - even Malo's jaw had dropped.

"Where'd you learn that move, Link?" Ilia asked.

He hadn't noticed her arrive, but it didn't matter. Returning his sword to its sheath, he turned and faced her, giving her a warm smile. "I picked it up a few days ago, training in the mountains. My master was very strict with me..."

"Mr. Link, it's time to get up," a Goron boy said.

"Yeah, I'll get up in the air and repeat the move in a moment," Link assured him. "I need a second to rest right now."

"Mr. Link, it's time," the Goron repeated.

"Come to think of it, it was in the Temple of Time that I trained," said Link, looking up thoughtfully.

A punch to the ribs caused Link to roll into the wall and awaken from his strange dream. He groaned and opened his eyes. The room was much darker than his dream. He sat up slowly, massaging his ribcage. His muscles ached from all his activities the previous day, and several injuries made themselves known upon stretching.

"Dawn already?" Link muttered, rubbing his unkempt hair.

"You did say you wanted to be up by then, right?" the young Goron asked, staring innocently into Link's eyes. "You didn't get up at first, so I tapped you lightly in the side."

Link stood up. Even though the Goron was just a child, he was nearly as tall as Link. A "light tap" to the Gorons was a solid punch to a human. He thanked the boy and began searching for his items once the youth left. Fortunately, he didn't have much to bring - his sword, shield, and hat were the only things of his lying around the room. He noticed a plate of food on a rock beside him and sat down to eat. The boiled coneys might have been better if they hadn't left the skin and hair on.

Link left the room having eaten only a small portion of his breakfast. He appreciated the generosity of the Gorons, but he'd appreciate it more if they learned how to cook human food.

A group of Gorons which included the Elders was waiting for him in the main room (Link would have called it a lobby, but lobbies typically consisted of more than bare stone walls and torches). The younger Gorons were standing tall with their arms crossed, a warm greeting from the Gorons that still held their immense pride intact.

"We just wanted to give you a proper sendoff before you went," Gor Coron explained. "You've done much for our tribe. If you ever need any help, you can always come here."

Link nodded in thanks. "Unfortunately, I can't afford to stick around. I appreciate your courtesy of, uh, giving me food and shelter. Are you guys going to be alright with the Constellation?"

Gor Coron chuckled. "More than fine, I believe. Our bodies do not give in easily, and we're already working on traps and strategies to fend them off. I'd be more concerned about you. Our hope, after all, hinges on you."

_Why does everybody insist on telling me that?_ Link thought. _It's not a compliment. It means if I screw up, everybody dies._

He understood their intentions, though, and smiled in reply. He turned to leave the cave.

"And you're sure you're not forgetting anything?" Gor Coron called. "Perhaps we could pack you some more food..."

"No, that's fine," Link responded, perhaps too hastily. The Gorons didn't seem to notice. "The plants you gave me should do well enough."

"And what of your leg paralysis? How is that faring?"

Link stopped and looked down at his leg. All the medicines he'd tried had affected it by some degree, but none had made it functional again. "It's faring," he answered, not taking his eyes off his leg. "Not healed yet, though. Some of the medicines seemed to improve its condition, but nothing's really done the job."

"Is that so?" Gor Amoto wheezed. He coughed and stepped forward a bit. "Well, pardon my bluntness, but I don't believe you'll find a cure in any of those medicines."

"But there was a cure for Constellatia paralysis years ago," Link pointed out. "I've got to try until I find the right one."

Gor Amoto coughed again and shook his head. "Those are all cures for minor paralysis, my boy. You know, like being bitten by Trapper Babas and such. If the Constellatia paralysis cure was as unique as I'm guessing it was, it wouldn't be found in some mundane medicine bottle, would it?"

He had a point. Link took a random medicine bottle out of his pocket and viewed the label. Written on it were ingredients, instructions, and afflictions it cured. Most of the things it healed were caused from careless contact with certain plants or poison from common creatures like Babas. The ingredients weren't exactly hard to find, either. Was this the way with every medicine with him?

"So what do I do?" Link muttered.

"If the cure existed back then, it certainly must exist now," Gor Amoto continued. "Every medicine is composed of ingredients. Now, Constellatia paralysis is very potent." He paused for another coughing fit. The steam rising from the vents on his back thickened briefly. "No ordinary ingredients will overcome such an affliction."

Link sighed. "I don't have time to go around looking for ingredients. The Constellation King's return is close." He limped back to the group of Gorons.

"And that's exactly why you _should_ go looking for them!" Gor Amoto exclaimed. He overestimated the power of his vocal cords and descended into another coughing fit.

"Allow me to take it over from here," Gor Liggs offered. "You possess the Sword of the New Moon, am I right, Brother?" Link nodded. "It's a very powerful sword, as we have witnessed. But with a disease such as yours, where you can't even move properly, a monster like the Constellation King would probably kill you in moments. Would I be right in assuming it was Umar who sent you here?"

This comment caught Link off-guard. "Y-yeah...how do you know about him?"

"Oh, we go way back," Gor Liggs laughed. "I am farsighted in all things, Brother. Now then, let me ask you another thing: do you have the Constellation Compass?"

Link evidently wasn't the only one confused. Many Gorons looked at their Elder curiously.

"Well, no," Link said after a period of silence.

"I didn't think so. I am farsighted in all things."

_Oh yeah? How many fingers am I holding up now?_ Link wanted to say while putting his hand behind his back. Being more courteous than this, however, he refrained.

"So, what's your point?" Link asked.

"It means you came to get the Sword of the New Moon first so you'd be prepared when the King arrived," Gor Liggs responded. "The Compass would help matters greatly, but you can't very well fight the King with a round object meant to tell directions. Not that I know it's round. In that I am not farsighted.

"But to continue, the King's return is near, and you must be prepared. If you had the Compass, chances are you could combat him without him even breaching Hyrule's surface and threatening the peace. But the chances are equally great that the King will attack Hyrule before you can intercept him. As such, you must be in peak condition. And you must_ make_ time to search for medicinal ingredients. Do you understand, Brother?"

Link nodded. "I'd like to think that's the case, but where do I start?" He held up the medicine bottle in his hand. "I don't know what the cure could possibly be, and I don't think anybody _does_ know."

"Perhaps I can give you a place to start." He walked forward, grabbed the bottle, and looked at the label. "Can you tell me what medicines have worked best for you?"

"Yeah, though I've only tried about four or so," said Link, thinking off the top of his head. An idea came to him. "Wait...I think I know what you're getting at. I need to find the common ingredients of the medicines that worked the best and use them to create the cure, right?"

"Exactly!" Gor Liggs grinned, handing the bottle back. "In the meantime, try out more medicines to see if their ingredients work for you as well. Also, ask around for rare or special herbs or objects that can be used for medicine. As effective as searching for common ingredients can be, these are the Constellation we're talking about. They were created from dark magic. In the end, I suspect a rare, powerful ingredient will be necessary."

Link already had ideas. Bolstered, he placed the medicine bottle back in his pocket, thanked them, and left the cave as fast as his injured leg would allow him.

After fifteen minutes of searching, he found a secluded spot in the mountains where he could work in peace. His "hiding spot" was a bowl-shaped pit about eight feet deep and six feet wide. The walls were craggy enough to allow Link to climb out of the pit easily. The new hope, along with the pure blue sky and fresh mountain air, gave Link a giddy feeling.

He reached into his pockets and pulled out each bottle, covered in leather pouches for protection. To his dismay, a few of them had cracked, and one had busted altogether. He assembled the bottles still in one piece in front of him. To one side he set the medicines he'd already used, and to the other he laid the medicines he had yet to try. He read the labels of the bottles of the first side.

The first ingredient he noticed among the medicines that worked well was blue chu jelly. That didn't surprise him - blue chu jelly was a somewhat rare but effective medicine, even when consumed on its own. It was fairly expensive to purchase as a result of this. Link felt more gratitude towards Rusl and the mayor of Ordon Village, Bo, who had paid for most of his medicine. It must have cost a small fortune.

The second (and last) effective ingredient was red mountain herb. He'd heard the herb mentioned before, and as its name suggested, it grew in the Death Mountain Range and had a distinct red color. He didn't know much aside from that. It was cheap if you bought it from the Gorons but grew a little expensive if bought elsewhere. Lucky for him, he was right in the midst of the Gorons.

He turned his attention to the right side. He picked up bottles one by one, turning them over and reading the labels. What he was looking for was medicine with blue chu jelly and red mountain herb (and preferably a side-effect that wasn't too embarrassing). He found three more bottles that contained the ingredients. The side-effects of one were dizziness and nausea. Common enough, but not something he could afford with Constellation popping up everywhere. The second medicine's side-effect was extreme attraction to shiny objects - seemed harmless enough. The third medicine's side-effect was "excessive flatulence." Link hoped to avoid that one if at all possible.

"Looks like it's the second one for me," Link muttered, unscrewing the top of the second bottle and taking a swig.

Most of the medicine he took acted and faded quickly, which was fortunate for Link as time was not in his favor. He guessed the medicine's side-effects would wear off within a few days at most. Satisfied, he covered the bottles with their pouches and put them back in his pockets. Grunting, he stood up and climbed out of his pit.

The first item of business was to find a good supply of red mountain herbs. He was sure any Goron shop would sell them. He just hoped they wouldn't demand too much of his money - he was buying a lot. For a moment he wondered why this adventure was so much harder than his last. Then he remembered - his old partner, Midna, was with him back then. Using her obscure shadow magic, she transported his items to some unknown dimension for convenience. Now he had the pain of carrying all his items himself.

The medicine quickly affected him. His limp was a little less serious, and he began noticing the sparkle of minerals a bit more. An elated feeling blossomed in his chest. He was so surrounded by...rocks. And for some reason he felt good about that.

There was a small Goron shop near the base of the mountain he'd been to a few times before. He knew they had a few common herbs for sale, and he could've sworn he'd seen the red mountain herb among them. He asked a passing Goron if they did to clarify. They did. After thanking him, he continued down the mountain.

Another Goron rolled past him, throwing dust and pebbles in his face. Link grimaced. Rolling was a quick and easy way for Gorons to get around, but it was annoying for humans. How they could see where they were going, he didn't know. He had some near misses sometimes. It was so easy for...

Link heard more crunching sounds behind him. Acting on instinct and fearing for his life, he jumped to the side. A Goron rolled past, yelling and whooping. The two Gorons were racing. Link pushed himself back up, growling. Was that even legal? Then again, to his understanding, Gorons barely had any laws.

_No wonder this place is called "Death Mountain,"_ Link thought. _It's no place for humans._

There were no more racing Gorons on his way down, although he did nearly kill himself by impalement when he dove off a cliff, seeing something shiny, and almost fell on top of a gate. He had twisted to the side at the last second and fallen in a hot spring instead. Much more cautious now, he reached the shop at the mountain base.

The cave's entrance had a low ceiling, so he had to stoop a bit to enter. As the tunnel went on, the ceiling heightened. Torches lined the walls, providing suitable light. At the end of the tunnel was a stone counter, and leaning on the counter was a bored Goron. His expression didn't brighten upon seeing a customer.

"Welcome," the Goron said in a monotone voice. "See anything you like?"

Link scanned the shelves behind the Goron. "Actually, no. I heard you had red mountain herbs here, but I don't see any."

"Just a second," the Goron muttered, standing up and disappearing behind the shelves for a moment. He returned with a couple of crates under each arm. "There's a little of it in each crate. One herb is 8 rupees."

Link opened his wallet and counted his rupees. He had 216 rupees on him. With his money, coupled with how much he could carry...

"Can I buy ten herbs, then?" he asked.

"Sure. I'll put 'em in a bag for you."

Link took out a fistful of small, colorful jewels and placed them on the counter. The Goron handed him a leather pouch containing the herbs and resumed his bored position, head resting on hand.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"No, that'd be it. Thank you."

"Come back again."

Actually, it didn't look like the Goron cared whether or not Link came back again, but it didn't bother him. The Goron was probably just having a slow day. That, or it was early in the morning.

He left the cave and let his eyes readjust to the light. Next on his list was blue chu jelly. On his twilight journey, he'd memorized locations where chus commonly were. One spot was outside Kakariko Village in a wide field. He'd pass through it on his way back to Hyrule Castle. He wanted to update Princess Zelda on where things stood and ask her about any legendary medicines. Her light magic could possibly aid in the healing of his leg as well. Aside from that, he just needed to restock on supplies.

Link walked down the Death Mountain Trail, headed for Kakariko Village. He was still limping, but it wasn't nearly as bad as previous times. This medicine seemed to do the trick. He stayed focused solely on the path before him, trying not to notice anything that reflected a substantial amount of light.

Link didn't see many Constellation about, although there were still a few, mostly offspring. One attempted to attack him, but the dart bounced off his body when a small barrier of magic appeared. He drew his sword and shot a beam at the creature, killing it. No other Constellation attacked him after that, although he still saw them lurking about.

He glanced at his sword, turning it over. It wasn't as powerful as it was the night before. He looked up. No, there wasn't a star in the sky, but that was because it was daytime. Perhaps the Moon Sword's magic only reached its real potential at nighttime. It was a mysterious relic, and it didn't seem to want to reveal its answers to him.

He continued staring at his sword. It was so...shiny. He ran his finger along the top of the blade. It was sleek, smooth, so shiny...he grimaced and turned his head away. The medicine's side-effects were kicking in. Slowly he turned his head back. He couldn't keep his eyes off the thing. It brought him joy just from reflecting the sunlight. After a few seconds that felt longer than they were, he shut his eyes, put the sword away, and kept walking.

Several times on his journey he drew his Moon Sword again. Even when he put it away, he couldn't help thinking about it. He finally decided to keep it out all the time. That way he could glance at it whenever he wanted to, and if anything jumped out at him he could react quick enough to defend himself.

He reached Kakariko Village late morning, or so it felt. He sought out the Elde Inn in the middle of the town and entered inside it, finding a seat near the back of the lobby and leaning his head against the wall. The village was still recovering from its attack by the twilight beasts, and as such it wasn't heavily populated. The inn was back up and running, however, and a small number of people had resettled in Kakariko.

He rested for about twenty minutes, then left his homey surroundings and walked out of Kakariko Village. He was still tired and sore, but there was no time to waste. He could rest when he reached Hyrule Castle.

Rather than heading north out of the village, he went out the southern entrance. This was where the area he had named the "Field of Chu" was. Far before him was a massive gorge with both sides connected by a wooden bridge. The ground began losing its rockiness in this area and grass started sprouting. To his right was the Field of Chu. He could already see the glistening forms of the slug-like chus. Glistening...no, he couldn't get into that.

He limped over slowly, careful not to disturb any chus. While slow and easily defeated, they were still aggressive and attacked intruders if they got close. They could also combine with other chus to become one larger being. Certain colors of chu were "dominant" over other colors, meaning the combined chu's color was the same as the dominant chu's before it. Unfortunately for people wanting their jelly, the dominant chus were often the less useful ones.

Link walked slowly past a red chu. Red chu jelly also functioned as a medicine but wasn't as effective as blue jelly. It turned its head (or its butt, Link couldn't tell) in his direction as if sniffing him out. When he continued walking away, it resumed its idle activity and ignored him. Link cupped his hand over his brow and scanned the field. Red, red, purple, yellow, purple, purple, red...no blue. No matter. There was still plenty left to the field.

An hour passed. Link still didn't find a blue chu. Although he knew they were rare, their absence annoyed him. _What are they, extinct now?_ he thought. He could always buy a bottle of blue chu jelly, but those things were rather expensive, and Link wasn't made of money.

When his stomach rumbled, he decided it was time to take a lunch break. He had now left the field area and begun climbing up a rocky hill, partly so he had a better look at the field and partly to find any blue chus up there. Leaning beside a red boulder, he sat down, took out his bag of food, and pulled a few strips of dried meat and a canteen of water out of it. The dried meat was actually from Ordon goats. At the moment, Link was eating Henry, a goat he used to know. He didn't feel particularly bad about it - Henry never liked him anyway. All the head-butting Link in the behind finally got back to him in the end.

He took a gulp of his canteen to wash down the meaty flavor. As he lowered it, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Something blue and slimy stretched out from behind a rock. Link slowly put his canteen back as quietly as he could. A blue chu. Funny that he should find it the moment he wasn't looking for it. Rising silently, he tiptoed across the hill.

"Come on," Link muttered mock-sweetly. "Come to papa...that's right..."

From around the cliff in front of him another figure began to emerge - a purple chu. Purple chus were the most dominant. They were also the most useless. Upon spotting the blue chu, it slithered eagerly to it.

"No!" Link shouted, dashing across the hill. The heads of the two chus merged with each other. Link reached them and grabbed them by the ends, pulling in opposite directions. Despite his efforts, they continued to fuse, although more slowly than before. Link readjusted his grip and yanked on both ends. He lost his grip on one, causing it to merge with the other at a faster rate. Before the process could be completed, Link drew the Moon Sword and cut it in half. A precious small amount of blue chu jelly spilled onto the ground. The rest was tainted by purple.

Link resisted the urge to swear. He screwed it up. Wiping the jelly off his sword, he sheathed it, stood up, and placed his hands on his hips. Deciding it would be better to finish his lunch, he returned to the boulder and continued eating Henry, still steamed he missed his chance.

He was still looking for a blue chu an hour later. Where'd they all go? Did some idiot send them a message telling them, "Link's coming, so all of you merge with blue chus and make sure he doesn't get any"? At this point he felt like he might just buy the stuff in Castle Town. He didn't want to resort to that, though. He needed money for the trip and had not the time to look for more.

Another hour passed. Frustrated, Link killed every purple chu he saw. _Darn slug things. Try merging when you're dead._

He'd searched nearly the entire Field of Chu. Aside from the one he found at lunch, he hadn't seen a single blue chu. They were somewhat rare, but not like this. He decided if he didn't find one within the next hour, he'd just buy it at Castle Town and worry about the monetary details later.

Fifteen minutes later, he stumbled across a grotto dug into the ground. These things were scattered around Hyrule and often contained secrets (as well as a monster or two). Link widened the opening a little so he could get in easier and crawled through the hole.

The small tunnel deepened, leading him farther under the hill. When he felt he was at the bottom, he tried standing up. His head brushed against the ceiling. It was pitch black in the grotto, and Link didn't have a lantern. On an impulse, he raised the Moon Sword. It lit up and gave off light stemming from its magic. The cave was cast in a pale blue glow that illuminated about twenty feet in front of him. A swarm of Keese - large bats - descended from the ceiling. Link cut them all to pieces and proceeded through the cave.

Something sparkled on the left side of the grotto. Link pointed his sword at it. It was pale in color, but definitely glowed and glittered. His heartbeat quickened. This wasn't a blue chu. This was a rare chu. They were extremely hard to find and also provided the best medicine one could get (short of the Constellatia paralysis cure itself). A bottle of the raw stuff cost 980 rupees. Rather than sneaking up on it, Link dove at it and hacked it in two. Jelly spilled out both ends. Link removed an empty glass bottle from his tunic and scooped as much in as possible. All that work _hadn't_ been for nothing!

He explored the rest of the cave but didn't find anything aside from more angry Keese. Satisfied with his work, he climbed out of the grotto and back into fresh air. It wasn't blue chu jelly exactly, but if that worked for Constellatia paralysis (in theory), surely rare chu jelly would work. Besides, he'd find more blue chus on the way. There were other chu spots he'd memorized.

He sighed and climbed down the rocky hill slowly. He was headed back to Kakariko Village - it was the quickest way to Hyrule Castle. The first leg of his journey was nearly complete.


	10. Chapter 9: The Wisdom Bearer

Link swirled the rare chu jelly around in its bottle, feeling triumphant. _Couldn't hide from me forever, could you?_ he thought, a grin growing on his face. He'd find an actual blue chu later, just in case rare chu jelly didn't help cure his paralysis.

He hoped Epona hadn't met a bad fate. She'd been left in the stable for a couple of days (Link guessed), protected only by the Gorons and wooden walls. Concerned, he limped faster until the stable by the Elde Inn came into view. Several Gorons stood around it as guards.

"Brother!" a Goron called. "You have come back for your horse?"

Link nodded. "Is she okay?"

"Fine!" the Goron boomed. "Those horses may have looked tasty to the black creatures, but they soon gave up after they learned they couldn't get past us. We would readily give our lives to protect the horses, especially your horse. It is a fine way to repay the debt we incurred months ago."

"I don't know that you need to go that far," said Link. "But your help is much appreciated. If not for the Gorons, I'm sure Kakariko Village would be destroyed again."

This comment lit the Goron's face up. Feeding their pride was an easy way to get on their good sides.

Link found Epona healthy and ready to ride as always. Climbing up with a little difficulty from his leg, he rode out of the stable, thanked the Gorons again, and left the village. Epona would make the journey from Kakariko to Castle Town much easier.

The sun started to set as he rode out into Hyrule Field. On Epona, he could probably make the trip in less than thirty minutes. The top of Hyrule Castle was visible in the distance. With that as his guide, he galloped off.

To his dismay, many more Constellation were seen out and about. At this rate, Castle Town - and other surrounding settlements - may not hold. He wondered how Ordon Village was faring. Most infant Constellation he saw shot darts not at him, but at Epona. He was able to easily deflect them each time and at first sent counterattacks back at them (Link called them Moon Disks). After each disk, he felt like the Moon Sword was getting weaker. _If it's not being fueled by a lack of stars at night, it probably doesn't have an infinite amount of magic._ With that in mind, he stopped killing the infant Constellation he saw, although the urge to end their lives was high.

About half an hour later he arrived in Castle Town. As before, nobody was seen out and about, although Gorons now guarded buildings. A stack of smoke rose from a portion of the town. Upon inquiring about this, he learned that was where Constellatia corpses were taken and burned. It must have been a gruesome sight. Grimacing, he turned away and continued riding to Hyrule Castle.

Things must have been _very_ bad around Castle Town - no Hylian guards were out around the castle. Instead, a force of Gorons protected the exterior. The guards were presumably inside, watching over the princess night and day.

_This isn't just a brief hiccup in one part of Hyrule,_ Link thought. _This is a national emergency. We're living in times that could very well reshape the world for the worse._

He left his horse in another heavily-guarded stable, entrusting Epona's well-being to the Gorons. When he approached Hyrule Castle's front door, a Goron stepped in his way.

"Are you going inside?" the Goron asked. Link nodded. "State your name and business."

"Link...of Ordon Village. I'm here to see Princess Zelda."

The Goron laughed. "Hardly anybody sees the Hylian princess these days. The last time anybody out here saw her was when she made the public statement about Hyrule's future."

"It's important. It has to do with the creatures that are keeping the princess unseen."

The Goron grunted and strode to the door. "Link of Ordon Village is here to see the princess. He says he has info on the Constellation."

_Guess people around here are more informed than I thought,_ Link wondered.

After a few seconds, the doors opened. As soon as Link stepped in, the doors shut behind him. The two guards who had been manning the doors stopped him.

"Your name is Link, right?" the one on the right asked. "From Ordon?"

"Yeah," Link responded suspiciously.

"What weapons do you have on you?"

"Two swords, a bow, and a quiver of arrows. The shield, too, if you want to count that."

The guards looked thoughtful. After a short period of silence, the guard on the right motioned to Link's left hand.

"Would you mind taking off your gauntlet, please?"

He knew what they were getting at. He pulled off his left gauntlet and showed them the back of his hand. The Triforce mark shone gold on it, reflecting an endless light. The guard put his hands on his hips and nodded.

"Yup. You can go on ahead."

Link hesitated. "I don't have to leave my weapons here?"

The guard shook his head. "You don't seem to have any weapons particularly threatening to the princess. Besides, she was expecting you. Or something. Told us to look out for a man named Link with a Triforce mark on the back of his left hand, keep it under our helmets."

_'No other weapons'?_ thought Link. _That's awfully assuming of you, but I won't complain._

"She also said he could keep his weapons. As well you should. These are dangerous times, you know?" He leaned back and pointed behind himself. "The princess should be practicing her swordsmanship in the courtyard, last I heard anyway."

A well-dressed man stepped forward and guided Link through the lobby. As Link walked away, he heard the guards arguing behind him.

"You could have helped."

"You never gave me the chance to!"

"Yeah I did. Loads of times."

"Well, you had the whole thing under control."

"You'll never get promoted with that attitude."

"You're one to talk. You've been a door guard longer than I have."

Link ignored them and focused on his escort. He'd been in Hyrule Castle's lobby only a few times before. The first time it was considerably more bare than normal, courtesy of a dark lord redecorating the castle he'd taken. Hyrule Castle wasn't such a pretty place then. Now, red carpets created walkways on the green and white tiled floor, and a few tables filled in the otherwise empty room.

The castle looked pretty good considering most of it had been blown up near the end of Link's twilight adventure. Much work had been put into recreating the castle, although it was nowhere near completion. The architects had attempted to make the new castle look just like the old one, but with pressing matters like the Constellation raising their ugly heads they'd had to make do with a few simpler touches.

The escort led Link through a few hallways, standing straight and never saying a word. At the end, he opened a door to the outside. The courtyard had obviously been the easiest thing to repair. Link had never seen this portion of it, never up close anyway. Off to the left was a group of people with swords.

They navigated their way past perfectly-trimmed hedges and across stone walkways. Link resisted the urge to rip off a fistful of leaves from the nearest hedge just to tick off the gardener. That wouldn't be very noble of him, especially considering they were Princess Zelda's hedges.

"Lady Princess," the escort called. The group turned their attention to the caller and Link. "Link of Ordon is here to speak to you. He claims he has knowledge on the Constellation."

Zelda glanced at a tall man Link guessed was her instructor. "We can end the lesson for today," he said. She nodded, sheathed her sword, and walked across the yard, two guards by her side.

Being royalty, she had quite a wardrobe. It changed every time Link saw her. Today she was wearing a slim red dress with an elaborate crest featuring the Triforce emblazoned on the front and red leather evening gloves. Her brown hair was tied back into a ponytail to make practicing easier. Link again felt out of place. His wardrobe consisted of two outfits - three if you counted the Zora Armor he never wore anymore.

"Good evening, Link," the princess greeted. "How goes your quest?"

"You heard about that?" Link asked. "It's coming along, but this isn't the place to talk about it. Is there somewhere inside we can talk?"

A few nearby people frowned at Link's apparent discourteousness toward the princess. Zelda herself didn't seem to mind. She nodded and strode past him. "Please follow me."

"Should you really be training outside?" said Link. "It seems like the least protected place to me. Besides, the Constellation can tunnel underground. The courtyard would be the easiest place to resurface, wouldn't it?"

"It would," Zelda agreed. "As such, we've placed certain precautions around the courtyard walls. For the time being, we've taken out parts of the walls and put steel doors in their place. The Gorons can simply charge in if a distress signal is given." She opened the door to the inside and led Link down another series of halls. "It's a wonder the Constellation haven't infiltrated the castle walls already. We're beginning to think they're planning something."

"They're a clever bunch." There was a short period of silence as Link cast around in his mind for another topic. "What, uh, what about your sword training? How goes that?"

"Rather well," replied Zelda. "I usually train once a day. I like to think I've come a long way, but I'm still probably no match for you."

"I wouldn't say that. I received my training from a man in my village, and most of the enemies I fought during the twilight episode weren't coming at me with swords in return. Besides, I've slacked off since then, so I've probably lost my edge."

They stopped in front of a door. One of the guards following Zelda opened the door and stepped in cautiously, hand on his sword. After inspecting the room, he turned and nodded to the princess. The remaining three entered in.

"Security measures," Zelda explained. "The Constellation can get into anything."

The room was dark and bare aside from a wooden table in the center with a few chairs around it. Zelda walked to the table and put her fingertip to a candle in the middle. A small golden flame lit up on it, illuminating the room with more light than should be normal.

"Incidentally, my swordsmanship isn't the only thing I've been working on," said Zelda. One of the guards pulled a chair out for her. To Link's slight irritation, the other guard didn't do the same for him. He pulled out a chair opposite Zelda and sat down in it.

"How do you hone the powers of your Triforce, anyway?" asked Link. "I mean, I've..." He hesitated. The mark on the back of his hand wasn't common knowledge, and for good reason; the Triforce had a long history of bloodshed, one man killing another and best friends betraying each other just to lay their hands on the sacred artifact. If word got out that Link was the bearer of such an ancient power, he might be the next one in a coffin.

"It's alright," Zelda assured him. "Kain and Byron, my personal bodyguards, are trustworthy. They already know about my part of the Triforce."

Judging by her gestures, Kain was the one on the left and Byron was on the right. Kain appeared to be in his mid-twenties and had a large amount of shaggy brown hair resting on his head. Byron looked a little older - Link guessed he was in his late twenties or early thirties. He was very tall and possessed tanned skin and dull green hair kept in a ponytail. A thin scar ran up the side of his neck. Both were dressed in the red-and-gold armor associated with high-ranking soldiers.

"To be honest," continued Zelda, "it's really not the Triforce's power that I use most of the time. Hyrule's royal family has long had light magic in their veins, which is what I used to light the candle."

Link sighed. "That may be true, but you still admit you can use it. I don't think I've ever used mine." He looked at his left gauntlet.

"Often they aid you in unseen ways," said Zelda. "Two common attributes are increased power and physical defense. It's said that's how Ganondorf survived his execution long ago."

Ganondorf was the dark lord responsible for an ancient war, the twilight episode, and Hyrule Castle's destruction. Thankfully, Link had killed him some months ago.

"I honestly can't tell you how the Triforce of Courage is used," Zelda continued. "It's something that only the wielder can really see and experience for themselves."

"I guess so. But I didn't come to talk about any of that. How filled in are you on the Constellation?"

"We're aware of their abilities and origin. An old man named Umar came to Hyrule Castle and told us that much. Something about a dark magician creating them long ago..."

"Good, that'll save me a bit of time," Link grunted. "The Constellation King is probably going to be here within a few days. You know who he is, right?" Zelda nodded. "I've already got the Sword of the New Moon, and now I'm heading to the Gerudo Desert to search for the Constellation Compass. You're following me so far, right?" She nodded again. "To be honest, I don't think I'll find it before the King arrives. In fact, chances are I'll never find it. If I do and I make it back to Hyrule in time, I'll try and kill the King before he breaches the surface. If not, you're prepared, aren't you?"

"We're treating this as an all-out war," Zelda replied. "One of the worst for centuries. We've already enlisted the help of the Gorons, and we're currently negotiating with the Zoras. War strategies are in the... I'm sorry, Link?"

Link snatched his hand away from Zelda's shoulder pad. It had caught the light and, subsequently, Link's attention. "Medicinal side-effect," he explained. "Shiny objects. Sorry. Please continue."

Zelda hesitated for a second before proceeding. "Yes, war strategies are in the planning stages, although considering what we're up against, it looks rather grim. We're also trying to evacuate the citizens of Hyrule to neighboring countries, but nothing is set in stone yet. And Link, I'm going to have to ask you not to spend long in the desert. As important as finding the Compass is, we need the aid of the Sword of the New Moon to win this war."

Link nodded. "That reminds me. I'm working on a cure for Constellation paralysis. Do you think your magic or the Triforce could heal my leg?"

Zelda stood up, walked to him, and bent down on her knees. "It's hard to say. I've already tried to heal a few victims, but the paralysis is evidently caused by strong, unique dark magic and not from any poison. I couldn't heal them."

"Even with the Triforce?"

Zelda sighed. "Even with the Triforce. Umar told us there was a cure for this long ago - a medicine - but it seems it fell into decline along with the Constellation. I feel we need to know more about the Constellation to reconstruct the cure."

Link groaned. "I'm not fond of traveling the entire Gerudo Desert and back, battling the Constellation King, and possibly spending years with a limp. Since your magic doesn't seem to work, do you know of any...legendary medicines or something?"

Zelda returned to her seat. "I was thinking about that. The first thing that came to mind was the Sacred Potion, a liquid made when an ancestor of mine poured his light magic into a jar of water. There are flaws that come with this, though. For one, every jar weakened him and shortened his lifespan until he died at 47. For another, his light magic was very well honed for the purpose of battle. Even with the Triforce, I'm not sure I could match his strength. And finally, while the Sacred Potion _was_ known to heal even the most severe injuries, it was never used on poison or paralysis. Shortening my life may not be worth a lack of results.

"My next thought, and an idea I hold to be very viable, is Great Fairy's Tears. They were also known to cure nearly any injury or disease and give the drinker a strong boost of power for a short time."

"I'm familiar with them," said Link. "Jo...some rich guy gave me a bottle once. It's long gone, though."

"Legend has it that the Great Fairy's Tears are manifestations of the Great Fairies' pure magic and power, and they only give them to who they deem worthy. It's said a cave in the Gerudo Desert has a group of Great Fairies living there."

"I'm familiar with that, too," Link cut in. "I started to go down there once, but I never reached the bottom. The Great Fairies never gave me any Great Fairy's Tears, either."

Zelda nodded. "Since you're heading in that direction anyway, I suggest you find a Great Fairy and ask it if you can use a bottle of Great Fairy's Tears."

"Will do. I just wish I knew what else is needed to cure the paralysis, if anything. Guesswork can only get us so far. Oh yeah, something else I wanted..." He unbuckled the Master Sword sheath and held it horizontally above the table. "Carrying two swords around while walking with a limp has been murder for my muscles. Think you can take it off of me for the time being? Actually, couldn't you just use it for the upcoming battle?"

"That can easily be arranged," Zelda assured him, "but no, I don't believe I, or anyone, could use the Master Sword besides you. The Blade of Evil's Bane chooses its wielder and doesn't work well for anybody else who picks it up, especially one with an evil heart...so the legend goes."

Link laid it down on the table, unsure of what else to do with it. That was about all he wanted to discuss with the princess. "So..."

A noise was heard somewhere within the castle. Everyone in the room straightened up, completely silent. A few seconds later, the noise was heard again. It was strange...it almost sounded like...

"What's going on out there?" Byron muttered.

The noise repeated, much closer to their room this time. There was no mistaking it.

It was the sound of someone screaming.

Not just any scream - the kind filled with pain, fear, and blood. Link felt his heart beat harder against his ribcage. Could it finally have happened after talking about it so nonchalantly not long before?

"I'll check it out," said Kain. He motioned to Byron. "Stay with the princess."

Placing his left hand on the hilt of his sword, Kain walked forward slowly and opened the door. He took a step outside the room and looked both ways. A dart sailed past his right ear and embedded itself in the door. Kain slammed the door shut, locked it, and drew his sword.

"We're under attack," he stated calmly. "It's the Constellation."

Byron snapped into action immediately. "Kain, you know what to do. Princess, please stay with me. Link, I'll need to ask for you assistance, too. Stay by the princess's side and don't let any Constellation near her."

Link grabbed the Master Sword off the table, quickly attached it back to his left hip, and drew the blade from its sheath. He was no master of wielding two swords at once, but he figured he might as well give it a shot. It wasn't quite night yet, meaning the Moon Sword wasn't as powerful as it ideally would be. He'd have to use magic sparingly.

Byron stepped in front of Zelda, sword drawn. The princess was armed similarly. Link took a few steps away from her, blades ready to strike. Kain walked back to the door. He recoiled slightly as a tail pierced through it. The tail withdrew itself and struck again. Breathing deeply, Kain slowly lifted the lock on the door. After a few tense seconds, he thrust the door open and slashed down. An infant Constellatia shrieked, flopped around, and moved no more. Kain stepped outside the room and checked both directions. His eyes widened.

"Come on," he called, motioning to the group behind him. "Move quickly! Link, I need your help. An adult."

Link ran out of the room, Zelda staying close. He left in time to see an adult Constellatia lunging at them. The Moon Sword moved on its own, slicing the creature down to its belly. Its body landed on Link, pinning him to the ground. Before it could give one last attack, Link stabbed it through the head with the Master Sword. He shoved the corpse off him with some effort. Kain's hand reached down to help him up. Link took it gratefully.

"The hallway's clear for now," said Byron. "You alright, Link?" Link nodded. "Good. Kain, take the lead. Link, stay in front of the princess. I'll guard the rear."

They assembled in a line, Kain leading about ten feet in front. Although they moved swiftly, they always stopped at corners to check for enemies before continuing.

"Where are we going?" Link asked.

"There's a Safe Haven protected by Gorons near the bottom of the castle," Byron explained. "If we can get the princess there, she should be alright. We just need to hold out until..."

Byron didn't finish the sentence. Nobody knew when the Constellation would give up or die. It wasn't an encouraging thought.

"Why at the bottom?" Link panted. His limp was starting to wear him down. "That's where the Constellation are. Why not farther up?"

"It's too late now," Byron huffed. "It was put there so the princess could leave the castle grounds easily if she needed to. Besides, the Constellation can climb walls. It wouldn't make much difference."

Two adult Constellation rounded the corner, running for them at full speed. At the same time, three young Constellation appeared behind them. Kain stopped and made a couple of gestures with his free hand.

"An ambush," Byron growled. "Get the young, Link."

Link glanced back at the adults. He didn't think Kain could handle both at once. With no time to explain, he shoved Byron behind him and deflected the incoming darts from the young with the Moon Sword. A second later, a dagger flew past him and embedded itself in one of the infant Constellation, courtesy of Byron. Having bought some time, Link turned back to Kain and Zelda. Zelda shot a ball of light from her hand into one of the adults. It collapsed and writhed while the other continued straight toward Kain. He stepped out of the adult's path and slashed at its belly. The adult roared and swung a limb at Kain's head. He ducked under the swipe, grabbed ahold of one of the adult's spikes, leaped on its back, and plunged his sword into its head.

_He's good,_ thought Link. _No wonder they're Zelda's personal guards._

Link's experience taught him the baby Constellation behind him would be growing their darts back around now. He sheathed his swords, grabbed his bow, nocked an arrow, and fired it at one of the infants. He did the same to the next one before it could shoot its regenerated dart.

Behind him, Kain stabbed the other adult Constellation through the skull while it was still incapacitated. Byron cautiously retrieved his dagger from its dead target and resumed his place behind Zelda. Link put his bow away and drew his swords.

"How much farther till the Safe Haven?" Link asked.

"If all goes well," Kain answered, "not far - five minutes, perhaps. Probably closer to ten."

They descended a curving staircase, hugging the right wall to see down the stairwell better. Another adult charged up the stairs, roaring. Kain jumped over its head and sliced its back. The Constellation kept going, heading straight for Zelda. The princess readied her sword, but before she had the chance to strike, Link lunged forward and slashed both blades into its head. The lifeless skull sagged on the step below Link.

"I hear more coming from above," Byron said quickly. "Let's go."

They stepped past the body and reached the bottom of the stairs. The procession slowed. The damage was more widespread in this hallway. Dead bodies - mostly of humans - lined the floor. Most were gruesomely mutilated. Kain sighed.

"Keep moving. If we stop, we'll be the next set of limp bodies in this hall."

Byron glanced up the stairwell one more time before following behind Link again. The noises upstairs were louder. "Mind if I borrow your bow, Link?" he asked.

Sheathing the Master Sword, Link pulled his bow and quiver off and handed them to Byron without a word. The soldier accepted them with a nod and nocked an arrow for convenience.

An adult Constellation burst through the wall to their left. Kain swung at it on impulse. The blow only grazed the side of the Constellatia. It turned in midair and shifted its attention to Link. Link aimed a strike at it, only to have the Constellatia turn once again and avoid major damage. Focused on protecting the princess, Link jumped backwards. Byron fired an arrow, hitting the beast's shoulder. It kept going and landed on Byron, pinning him to the ground and crushing him under its weight. With one arm trapped, he grabbed the Constellatia's mandible near the mouth and pushed away from him. The Constellatia pressed closer, attempting to decapitate its prey.

A golden light stunned the creature from behind. A regal sword rose above it and fell into its back. Its wielder, Zelda, leapt beside the Constellatia and decapitated it. Byron pushed its head off of him.

"Better its head than mine," he muttered.

Kain and Link shoved the body off Byron. Zelda reached down and helped him up.

"Looks like I owe you my life twice over," he said, looking the princess in the eye. She gave him a grateful smile.

A baby Constellatia scurried down the stairs behind them and shot a dart at Zelda. The Moon Sword knocked it away before it reached its target. Sensing more Constellation coming down, Link launched a Moon Disk at the monster and killed it. Byron readied another arrow and walked backwards, facing the stairs.

"It's just a few rooms from here," Kain grunted. "Be on your guard, everyone. We're about to enter the foyer."

Byron fired a couple of arrows as more Constellation came down the stairs. The second arrow missed its target. Out of time, he turned and ran after the others, nocking another arrow.

They rounded another corner and met a disturbing sight. The foyer was heavily damaged. Some of the chandeliers had fallen from the ceiling. One had pinned a guard to the ground as an adult Constellatia lumbered over to it. The remaining guards, most of them wounded, fought the oncoming Constellation. Gorons had joined the battle as well, smashing the beasts with their fists.

"We'll hug the wall on the right," Kain yelled over the noise. "We're doing this at a full run. Brace yourselves!"

Kain led the charge. The others struggled to keep up, especially Link, who was nearly out of energy as it was. They ran close to the wall to their right, where it was mostly free from battle. Link launched Moon Disks at some Constellation as he ran. He decided it was a good enough time to use up the rest of the Moon Sword's reserves of magic. Arrows occasionally flew from behind him, further reducing the enemy's numbers.

Darts bounced of the wall beside them. Link had to deflect a few from Zelda and Byron with the Moon Sword. One dart almost hit Kain in the temple. Responding to Link's will, the Moon Sword fired a disk and blew the dart away right before it pierced the skin.

"Almost there!" Kain shouted. He ducked as another dart sailed toward him.

No matter how many Constellation Link killed, more arrive to replace them, mostly tunneling up from the floor. Still, the soldiers were relieved to have a break. A couple of guards helped the other guard out from under the chandelier.

They reached the other side of the foyer after what felt like a short eternity. Kain threw the door open and waved the others in. As soon as Byron entered, he slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Made it," he muttered. He leaned against the wall and wiped the sweat off his brow.

Link bent over and gasped for air. He took a good look at the room while he was in it. It looked like little more than a large closet. Four Gorons stood in the corners, obviously itching to join the fight. Two more Gorons stood guard outside the door. The walls, floor, and ceiling were lined with metal plating. The only light in the room came from a couple of lanterns and another magically-lit candle. The room was mostly bare aside from a mattress, some medical supplies, and basic food and water.

"I'm going out there to help," Kain panted. "You coming, Byron?"

The green-haired soldier nodded. Link straightened up. "I'll come, too. You'll need the Moon Sword if you want to win this fight." He turned to Zelda. "Are you alright for now?"

She nodded. "Please be careful."

The three swordsmen waited a few seconds, then opened the door, stepped out, and shut it. They heard it lock behind them.

Byron stood on the sidelines and fired arrows into the midst of the fighting. Kain went to support the remnant group of soldiers. To attract more enemy attention to himself, Link stood in the center of the foyer. Most Constellation at least passed by him on their way to the bigger group. He quickly built a pile of Constellation corpses around him.

An arrow flew past an adult Constellatia's head. Byron swore. "Archery never was my strong suit," he growled. "If we survive this, that'll be the first thing I hone."

When the quiver ran out of arrows, Byron put the bow away and joined the other soldiers with his sword drawn. The group had positioned themselves in front of the Safe Haven. Tired as Link was, he refused to move. So long as he had energy left, the Moon Sword would protect him from the Constellation attacks. In fact, even if he passed out, it'd still probably move on its own. He didn't want to take that risk, though, and forced himself to remain on his feet.

As the other Constellation finished their activities deeper into the castle, they came down and joined the fray. The sun began to set, and Link felt the Moon Sword's power grow. It wasn't a starless night, but it functioned better than daylight. As the sword's magic reserves increased, Link used more Moon Disks.

The sun set completely. Darkness blanketed the foyer. Nobody bothered to light the lanterns to give the castle light. Link worked his way over to the group of soldiers and cast out a blue radiance with his Moon Sword. Only when the Constellation came into the radius of light could the group counterattack.

The battle lasted for hours. Some soldiers had retreated into the Safe Haven to rest and let Zelda heal them. When they could function better, they rejoined the fight. As the battle went on, surviving soldiers from elsewhere in the castle made their ways into the foyer. Some died before making it to the group. When night had totally set in, the reinforcements stopped coming, likely to hide until morning. Wandering around dark halls when they were infested with deadly creatures that could see in darkness was never a good idea.

Link felt like collapsing. Sheer willpower kept him on his feet. The Moon Sword, as always, moved lightning-quick on its own. It was still hard to protect a group of nearly twenty-five soldiers and Gorons. Not all of them made it out of the fight alive.

"Do they ever sleep?" Byron groaned. "I'm not sure we can hold out for much longer than this."

Link sliced another adult Constellation with a Moon Disk. "I see what you mean. Don't give up, though. If we lose here, Hyrule itself is essentially lost. Fight like the world depends on it, because it does."

Although this seemed to bolster some of the soldiers' morale, Link himself was still ready to drop to the floor and fall asleep instantly. The battle's outcome looked grim.

Fifteen more minutes passed. The foyer was littered with green blood and shiny black bodies. Luckily enough, Link's newfound fascination for shiny objects had increased his battle prowess against Constellation. He was almost eager for the next one to come into view. That said, his rational mind knew better. If the battle didn't end soon...

A low roar rattled the castle. The Constellation stopped. The voice continued in deep, guttural sounds. The soldiers looked around apprehensively. A few seconds that felt longer than they were passed. An adult Constellation within the sphere of light turned around and walked away. The sound of more heavy footsteps and scuttling resounded across the room.

Silence. Nothing happened for a minute. Link summoned more magic from his sword and widened the sphere of light. No Constellation were to be found.

"Did they retreat?" a soldier asked.

"I hope so."

"I don't ever want to do that again."

"You okay?"

"Looks like that's it."

Link slumped forward, supporting himself with the Master Sword. The Moon Sword's light began to fade. "What now?" he asked, slurring his words.

Kain sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I'll tell the princess we seem to be in the clear. You can stay with her, Byron. She needs one of her personal bodyguards. She'll especially want to be filled in on what's happened.

"You're free to do whatever you want, Link. Our barracks are open to you if you want to spend the night there. They're well-armored. No Constellation have been reported to infiltrate it."

_None were reported to infiltrate this castle, either,_ Link thought. He didn't think speaking it aloud would help the situation any. The expression on Kain's face told him he thought the same thing.

"I'll take a small team and look for survivors on both sides," Kain added. "Dirk can lead you to the barracks if you want to rest there."

"Fine by me," Link murmured.

Kain selected three soldiers, found some torches, gave a few orders, and disappeared into the depths of the castle. Byron turned and knocked on the door to the Safe Haven. The soldiers busied themselves according to the commands Kain gave them.

Link, half-asleep, followed the guard he assumed was named Dirk. Without noticing where he was going, he somehow wound up in a building near the castle and discovered a bed before him. He found the strength to remove his swords and shield before falling on the bed and drifting off to sleep immediately.


	11. Chapter 10: Endless Desert

Link opened his eyes with a start. The ceiling he was staring at was thick gray stone. He wasn't familiar with this place. How did he get here?

As he sat up, he remembered the events that had transpired the previous day - the attack on Hyrule Castle. Every muscle in his body ached, and those that had ached before now felt as if someone was taking a needle and stabbing him every few seconds. Just the simple act of reaching up to scratch his head sent fire through his arm.

Looking around, he appeared to be in a sort of...barracks? Beds and cots filled much of the room. Link was sitting in one now, on top of the covers. Square windows lined the walls, but they were blocked with what looked like red, transparent crystal. The light that filtered into the room was tainted red as a result.

A scraping sound came from the cot across from Link. He snapped his attention to the sound, fearing another Constellatia. It was just a soldier sharpening his sword.

"You're awake," the soldier said.

Link rubbed his unkempt hair. He found his hat on the floor beside his bed and risked the pain to his muscles by reaching down, grabbing it, and putting it back on his head.

"Where do you get one of those?" the soldier asked. He stopped sharpening his sword.

"One of what?"

"Those hats."

Link sighed. "Sorry. You have to be an official hero chosen by the goddesses to get one." The soldier continued staring at him. Link shrugged. "It's how I got mine."

The soldier resumed sharpening his sword. Link massaged his shoulders and looked out the crystalline window next to his bed. The red crystal made it hard to tell clearly, but it looked like the sun had completely risen.

"What time is it?" Link asked.

The soldier glanced out the window. "Oh...noonish, I'd say."

"Noonish?" Link exclaimed. His stomach rumbled on cue. He groaned. He hadn't wanted to sleep in this long, even if he had spent half the night fighting for his life.

The soldier pointed to a wooden table beside Link's bed. "The princess didn't want to wake you up without a good night's sleep. With this in mind, she gave you a few morning gifts so you could leave as soon as possible."

Link surveyed the table's contents. A red potion in a glass jar, a pack of dried meat, some food on a cloth, a canteen, and a note rested on top of the table while his bow and quiver - restocked with arrows, Link noticed - laid against it. He grabbed the note and began reading.

_Dear Link,_

_I hope you have rested well, despite the events of the past days. You need your strength if you want to traverse the Gerudo Desert and eventually fight the Constellation King. As such, I didn't want to wake you, but I've prepared some items so you can leave quickly. On the table beside you, you should see a red potion, some food, and your bow and quiver. Byron had the quiver personally filled with as many arrows as it could safely hold. He extends his thanks for your assistance yesterday and says he regrets not being able to see you off._

_The red potion should cure you of aches, pains, and minor injuries. Please drink it before you leave. The dried meat and canteen are meant for your journey. Water is scarce in the desert, so use them wisely. The rest of the food you see is your breakfast or lunch. I hope it isn't too stale by the time you read this._

_If you still want to leave the Master Sword in our care, please set it on the table and we will come pick it up later. Its ability to repel evil should keep it safe, so don't worry about it._

_Don't spend too much time in the desert, Link. If you don't find the Compass within a few days at most, come right back to Hyrule Castle. The Sword of the New Moon and your special talent will be critical in the war against the Constellation. We will be preparing for the worst-case scenario in the meantime. It's also in your best interest to locate some Great Fairy's Tears for your leg paralysis. If you remember where the cave with the Great Fairies is, I suggest you go there before leaving the desert._

_Please come back safely._

_Zelda_

Link admired the princess's tact. His "special talent" was the Triforce of Courage. He set the letter back down on the table and reached to detach the Master Sword from his left hip. No wonder he was so sore - he'd slept with all his weapons on. He laid the sword on the floor for the time being, swung his legs over the bed, and grabbed the red potion, draining all of it in one sitting. Next, he carefully took the cloth with the bread and cheese on it and set it in his lap.

The soldier across from him sheathed his sword and leaned forward on his cot. "So, uh," he began, "did I hear right that you're off to the Gerudo Desert?" With his mouth too full of bread to answer, Link nodded. "That's a dangerous place. I remember going out with a regiment to catch a group of bandits hiding out in the desert once. It was terrible."

"I've been there before," Link responded. "Months ago."

The soldier nodded and slowly looked away. "Pretty nasty, isn't it? There's nothing but nothing there. Except for the moldorms. My regiment kept getting into trouble with those beasts. What brings you to the desert?"

Link finished his loaf of bread and went on to the wedge of cheese. "I, uh...I'm looking for something important in the war against the Constellation. With luck - a _lot_ of luck - we'll be able to nip it in the bud, and there won't be much of a war at all."

The soldier's expression lifted at this news. "I hope so. I'm not looking forward to going into battle against those things. Yesterday was enough for me." He watched Link eat the cheese for a bit. "And...what do you do for a living? Are you a mercenary or something?"

Link hesitated. "Goat wrangler."

The soldier blinked in surprise. Link took a large bite of cheese to avoid having to answer another question.

To his relief, the soldier didn't inquire any further. Link finished his meal, stored the dried meat in his tunic pocket, and hung the canteen from his waist. After attaching his quiver and bow to him, he stood up, feeling much less achey as a result of the red potion. He said goodbye to the soldier, took a swig of his canteen, and left the barracks.

The Gerudo Desert could be reached on foot, but it was quicker and easier to launch there from a cannon in Lake Hylia. He wasn't giddy at the prospect of exploring the "peak of fantastification," but sacrifices had to be made on his journey.

He wanted to refill his current food and water supply before leaving for the desert. He knew the market wouldn't exactly be "open" in current circumstances, so he asked a soldier guarding Hyrule Castle where he could go to restore his supply. After being pointed in the right direction, he walked off the castle grounds, hand resting on the Moon Sword on his back just in case he met any Constellation.

The soldier's directions took him into the eastern part of Castle Town, winding down stone alleys to take shortcuts. Every so often, something skittered away in his peripheral vision. When he turned to see it more clearly, it was gone. He readjusted his grip on the Moon Sword.

The silence was disturbing. Castle Town was meant to be a joyful, loud, almost festive place, but now, not a soul was out. Everywhere he went, he was reminded of the dark times he was living in. First Ganondorf, and now the Constellation...he seemed to get himself wrapped up into every major event.

He stopped in front of a one-floor stone building. The glass windows around it appeared to be barricaded by various things. One window had been cracked open, and a gouge mark buried itself in the wooden barricade behind it. He stepped forward and rapped on the door.

"Who is it?" a female voice called through the door.

"My name is Link," he replied. "I'm here for food and water. This _is_ the right place, right?"

A few seconds passed before sounds were heard behind the door and it swung inward. Link quickly stepped inside and dropped his hand from his sword hilt. The girl, hiding behind the door, slammed it shut. A man helped her push a bookcase in front of it.

The market had essentially been moved inside this large building. Several stalls - most of them empty - were scattered about the room. Light came from fires, and as such the room was very dim. The wooden floor made a _thump_ every time he set his boot down.

The girl who had opened the door for him strode past him and whispered a few words to someone who looked like a merchant. The man's face brightened. He walked over to Link, introduced himself, and led him to a stall.

Several minutes later, Link walked out of the building with enough meat and water to last him several days. Satisfied, he found his way back to the center of town, went down the south road, and exited through the gate. He was on his way.

Reaching Lake Hylia on foot would take an hour or two. Since Epona wouldn't have anywhere safe to stay if he rode her out, he had decided to leave her back in Castle Town. Even without her, he knew a quick (if unorthodox) way to get to Lake Hylia.

Link was standing in a portion of Hyrule Field, a vast expanse of green that stretched all the way around the town he'd just left. Lake Hylia was in the west. Normally, it would take a long time to reach even the outer fringe of the lake, but he knew a shortcut. To Link's right was a wide, circular cliff that led straight down to a river, and the river, in turn, led to Lake Hylia. Lake Hylia, finally, bordered the Gerudo Desert.

Within a few minutes, Link stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down. A fast-paced river ran down below. The sound of rushing water filled his ears. He closed his eyes and laughed silently.

Was what he was about to do stupid? Yes. Was he going to do it anyway? Yes.

Stretching his arms out, he jumped off the cliff and held himself in a diving position. Ten seconds later, he burst through the surface of the water. He instantly felt his body being tugged down the river. Before he had time to gather his bearings, he went over a small waterfall and tumbled over, losing his sense of equilibrium. He spun around, trying to get a feel for where he was. He finally broke through the surface of the water and gulped in air. His chin bobbed dangerously above and below the river. Mist and water sprayed his face constantly, making it feel like he was being attacked.

He swam thus for about ten minutes. The rocky ceiling above him began breaking away to reveal the mouth of the river tunnel. At last, he plunged over another short waterfall and into Lake Hylia's territory. He treaded water and looked into the distance. Fyer's cannon was a long ways away. All Link needed to do was swim to the island closest to him and walk to the cannon from there.

Fyer ran a sort of "amusement ride" in partnership with a (creepy) man named Falbi. Fyer's end of the amusement business consisted of blasting customers to Falbi's spot via a super-sized cannon. Falbi would let customers sail by Cucco wing back down to the lake and repeat the process. Link had never found any of it particularly thrilling, especially the feeling of being shot from a cannon.

He reached a small island after ten minutes of hard swimming. His limbs burned from the strain. He sat on the island for five more minutes, water lapping at his back. When he felt he was rested enough to continue, he stood back up, climbed up the island, and limped down the bridge. Most of the islands in Lake Hylia were linked by wooden bridges unless they were too small or too isolated.

"Well, look who it is!" Fyer called. Link raised his hand in greeting as he approached. Fyer was a short old man with a slightly hunched back. Like Falbi, he wore brightly-colored clothes and face paint in an apparent attempt to make himself look more "fun." Link thought the bright-pink sweater was a little outrageous, and deep down, he believed Fyer thought the same thing.

"Been going for a swim?" Fyer chuckled as Link stopped in front of him, soaking wet. "You're that eager to see me, eh? What'll it be? Another trip to the top of the lake?"

Link wiped the dripping water off his forehead. "Oasis flight."

"Oasis flight?" Fyer repeated. "Sure thing, pal. Just remember, you're getting back on foot."

Fyer moved out of the way and turned a crank, opening the metal hatch in front of Link. The cannon could pass for a tall house with a pink roof to the casual observer. Swallowing, Link stepped past the hatch and into the tiny dark room it had covered. The hatch slammed shut behind him.

"Alright, just a second," Fyer's voice yelled. "I'll get this thingamajig turned around so you don't wind up halfway across the eastern forest... Kidding, of course. And, uh, as always, if you could recommend me to other people you meet, as I'm sure you're a traveling man, that would be much appreciated..."

Link ignored him and prepared himself for the blast. He didn't know how Fyer had managed to safely blast people out of a cannon miles at a time, but the important thing was that it was safe. The giant cannon he was in began spinning around slowly. Over the noise of the rotation, he thought he heard Fyer whistling. He felt the cannon elevating, getting ready for the launch. _Come on, just get it over with._ Perhaps Fyer's other customers enjoyed the suspense of waiting for the launch, but Link had never used the cannon for amusement, only to get quickly from one point to another.

The cannon turned sideways, throwing Link to the floor. It rocked up and down for a bit, steadying itself. Power built up for the blast. Link scrambled to his feet. As soon as he did, he was thrown from the cannon. Wind streamed past him. The lake below him sped by faster than Link thought possible. Water soon became land, and land became desert. He was traveling miles in moments. The Gerudo Desert was known for its many cliffs and fissures. He'd never fallen down one before, but if Fyer had miscalculated something with the blast...

The ground below him slowly grew closer as Link's flight path descended. Sand blew into his face. He'd already well-entered the desert. He watched the ground carefully. _Alright, Link. Epic landing. Come on._

The ground seemed to rise up to meet him. Link attempted to land solidly on both feet and skid to a stop. The moment he hit the ground, his paralyzed leg gave out and he fell into a roll. His momentum carried his tumble onwards, creating a cloud of sand and dust around him. He tumbled off a ledge, rolled in the air, and landed on his stomach thirteen feet below. The wind whooshed out of his lungs.

As the dust settled, he sat up and coughed. What a ride. The sun beat down on him from above. No clouds obscured the sun's rays, which would make for a very hot stay in the vacinity. It was a beautiful view with the blue sky and orange sand, but Link would have traded it for cooler temperatures. He stood up and surveyed the land before him.

This was the Gerudo Desert.

And just as before, Link had no idea where he was. The top of the Arbiter's Grounds protruded from the horizon on the right. Otherwise, Link saw no definable landmarks. Sand dunes, cliffs, some rock structures, and more sand dunes made up all he could see. The occasianal Peahat - a hovering plant with mobile roots - floated above the landscape.

Link turned around. If he needed to find his way back, he could just follow Death Mountain in the distance. That would lead him back to either Lake Hylia or Hyrule Field. He decided if he couldn't find the Constellation Compass by the end of the third day in the Gerudo Desert, he'd head back. He only had enough food and water to last him five or six days at best, and moldorm meat wasn't high on his list of edible foods.

There was no need for a tent or blanket. Link had marked the locations of a few shelters on his first journey to the desert. Since moldorms lived underground, staying on wide expanses of rock generally kept you safe from them. Cliffs and dead trees could provide relief from the desert wind. Now if only he could remember where exactly those shelters were...

He took a step forward. He didn't know where the heck he was supposed to begin searching for the Compass, especially considering the ones who had hidden it in the desert in the first place were masters of disguise and deception. The Gerudo were supposedly an ancient race consisting almost entirely of women who operated in the desert and stole to make their living. Men were rare, and (so Link had been told) always became king when they were born. Ganondorf himself had been a male Gerudo. The Gerudo slowly faded out of history until they disappeared entirely. Nobody knew what had become of them, and as far as anyone could tell, they were no longer in the desert.

Twenty feet in front of him, the sand bulged upward. The bulge rapidly progressed toward Link, getting faster. Link put his hand on the hilt of his sword. Out of the sand, a worm-like creature with a stubby brown body and a wide mouth with three teeth placed in a triangular pattern jumped out at him. Link drew the Moon Sword and sliced downward. The creature fell in two halves beside Link, still writhing impulsively. Link flung the blood off his sword and sheathed it. He hated moldorms.

He wandered almost aimlessly around the desert for the next few hours. Several dozen moldorms and carnivorous plant-like creatures called leevers assailed him during that time. An even worse feeling was the aura of hopelessness that descended on him with each passing hour. It was one thing to search an entire desert for one artifact. It was another thing to search the desert for an artifact and not know what the heck you were doing or where you were going.

Two more hours passed, and the sun began to set. The desert, as unforgivingly hot as it had been during the daytime, was almost as harsh with the cold during the night. He found a large slab of rock, sat down on it, and took out the dried meat. After finishing his dinner, he went in search of the nearest shelter, which took him another hour. Covering himself with leaves from a dying tree, he curled up underneath the tree, rested his head against the flat rock he was lying on, and tried to ignore the cold.

The next day was much the same. After eating a small breakfast of more dried meat, he resumed his search. He paid careful attention to the sand, hoping to find a trapdoor or something similar. He groaned and put his hands on his hips. For all he knew, he was going in circles. And he still had an entire desert to search. In two days. Things did not look hopeful.

For the umpteenth time since his stay in the desert, he sat down, took out the Moon Sword, and stared at it. "Please," he mumbled, "give me some answers. Please." Feeling like a mystic, he placed the sword on the ground and held his hands above it. "Some answers...just tell me where to go..."

The sun reflected off the blade. Thankfully, Link's obsession with shiny objects had worn off long before. Bored, Link picked up his sword and turned it in the light. He adjusted his body and looked at it from a different angle. The light shifted to the left side of the sword.

He didn't think much of this until he noticed something unnatural about the reflection. It was light blue, which was a color consistent with the magic of the Moon Sword. It also didn't behave like a typical reflection. With the sun almost directly overhead Link, he didn't think the reflection would change much no matter which direction he faced, yet here the light clearly shifted to the left side of the blade. He turned the sword over slowly. The light visibly crept from one side of the blade to the other. Butterflies flew in his stomach. Could he have discovered something?

Actually, the more Link thought about it, the more he realized the Moon Sword might have been doing this all along. It always _did_ seem to have that light blue sheen at the tip. He'd always just written it off as a simple reflection. Was it really pointing him towards the Constellation Compass?

He had no better leads, so with his Moon Sword by his side, he stood up and walked in the direction it indicated. Judging by the location of Death Mountain, he guessed he was walking northeast.

Monotonous hours passed. Link desperately hoped the Moon Sword was leading him in the right direction. If he got horribly lost in the desert, his food supply might not last long enough for him to arrive back in Hyrule proper. He also had a nagging feeling that the light on his sword really was just a reflection.

Around what Link guessed was noon, he sat down on another small rock plateau, pulled out the dried meat, and feasted away. He didn't eat nearly enough to satisfy him, but it was enough to keep going. That was all he needed.

Several more hours passed. Link's legs burned, and he was really getting annoyed of the moldorms leaping out at him. One had caught him unawares and nearly wrenched the shield from his arm. The dents and bite marks on his shield were still visible.

The sun began to set, indicating the end of the second day's exploration. Link found a shelter early and sat down. Was he really any closer to the Constellation Compass? Had he passed it? Was it even leading him to the Compass at all? At this point, he was sure the light was magic-based and was leading him somewhere. He turned his body 180 degrees and held the sword up. The light shifted to the hilt of his sword. No, he hadn't passed it. Whatever it was.

With no dead tree leaves to cover himself with, Link huddled close to the cliff wall shielding him from the sandy wind. He couldn't wait for morning.

The third day. Link was tired, hungry, thirsty, and beginning to feel like the crazy man who chases a mirage looking for water. Could the light on his sword at least get brighter to tell him he was getting close? Talk to him? Anything? Link hoped pushing himself to his physical limits was really going to be worth it.

The day passed by as the previous couple of days had. Link felt more unsteady on his feet and much weaker. He had enough food to last for about two days, three if he virtually punished himself. He caught and ate a moldorm here and there, cooking them where he could, but they were so disgusting he could hardly get more than a few bites out of them. In his opinion, very little of them was truly edible unless you appreciated slimy glands, tough muscles, and bones in unnatural places.

He reassured himself with one thought: _it'll all be worth it_. He would reach the Constellation Compass if he just kept moving. Surely he would reach it. He had to.

Night of the third day came. Link, feeling thoroughly exhausted, found another shelter for the night and rested under a dying tree. He glared at the Moon Sword. "I _really_ hope you know what you're talking about."

Morning of the fourth day. Link was supposed to be leaving for Hyrule by this time. Worried thoughts flitted through his mind. Had the Constellation King breached the surface yet? If he had, what kind of carnage was he wreaking? Maybe they still had a few more days. Maybe continuing to search for the Compass really would pay off. He hoped Zelda wouldn't think too badly of him.

To his surprise, he had encountered very few Constellation in the desert. He supposed that was because the Constellation had been banished to the heart of the earth in Hyrule and thus would naturally resurface in Hyrule. The few he did see were the young. He killed them before they could scurry away.

Noon. Link sat down and sorted through his food. Not a great deal was left. If he didn't find the Compass by that day, he would have no choice but to depart from Hyrule. The Compass wasn't much good in his hands if he was dead. And without the Moon Sword, Hyrule was essentially doomed.

After his lunch, he continued stumbling across the sand. A half hour passed before a small humming noise filled the air. Link looked around cautiously. Enemies? There was nothing in sight. It took him a few seconds to realize the noise was coming from his sword. The light on it glowed brighter, expanding outside the blade. An excited feeling filled Link, quickening his pace. It meant he was getting closer. He knew it.

The more he walked, the louder the humming and the brighter the light grew. Ten minutes later, the magic reached its climax. Link stopped. Nearly a hundred feet away from him was a wide gorge with a river running through it. The roar of a waterfall could be heard. It was an ample place to get water, at least. Still, he couldn't see any structure that looked like it could contain an item. Not a rock or plant of decent size was in sight. To be safe, he looked up. He saw nothing there, either. That only left the ground.

He bent down on his knees and wiped the sand in front of him. He was looking for a buried treasure chest, or maybe a trapdoor. Perhaps the Compass itself was simply buried in the sand. Link looked around the area. The only noteworthy things he saw on the ground were a couple of small plants. Neither looked big enough to hold a compass, and how would they get a compass in there, anyway? He took note of the plants, though. They were placed parallel to each other. By measuring the distance with his feet, he guessed they were about ten feet apart. He felt each plant to see if it contained any secrets. He didn't find anything, but he realized they were rather healthy for vegetation in the desert.

_I'm close,_ Link thought, _and these two plants will help me find the way._

He hopped lightly on the sand, testing the pressure. Next he felt along the ground near the plants, digging his fingers into the soil. He hit something hard. After a bit more digging, he found he could grab whatever it was he hit. With a bit of effort, he heaved upwards. The trapdoor opened, flinging sand off the sides. He held the hatch open with one hand and placed the other on his hip, panting.

Below was a dark tunnel going deeper into the earth. Metal rungs were attached to one side of the tunnel, leading the way down. There wasn't much light to go around; Link couldn't see the bottom. However, this was where the Moon Sword had led him, and he wasn't about to give up now that he'd spent three and a half days wandering around a desert.

Taking a breath, he lowered himself into the tunnel and slowly closed the hatch above him, sealing him in darkness.


	12. Chapter 11: Robber's Coffin

The descent down the ladder was slow. Link was in total darkness, unable to see the rung below him. His face periodically met with a cobweb. He hoped they weren't inhabited, though he had to wonder how many creatures with more than four legs were crawling on him.

His crippled leg slipped off the rung with a rusty squeak. Link gasped and clung to the rung above him with one arm, dangling in the dark. _Take it easy. Breathe. Just find the rung with your foot again._ When he had stopped swinging and his heart had settled down some, he maneuvered his partially-paralyzed foot back into position and continued the climb down.

Another minute of descending later, Link noticed light coming from below him. Eager to escape from the shadows, he hurried his climb down. Not long after, he slipped again and fell the rest of the way down, grasping at the rungs in a panic. He managed to slow his fall, though his right hip and left arm throbbed from the impact of hitting the ground. He stood up and looked around him. A spider was crawling up his sleeve. He flicked it off and continued his survey.

The long shaft he had climbed down led into a narrow stone hallway with a low ceiling. Torches spouting purple flames hung on the walls, casting an eerie glow down the hall. The musty scent had grown even worse. Link thought he smelled dead Moldorm. Feeling claustrophobic, he limped forward.

The hall led to a dead end, though a wooden sign had been staked into the floor in front of him. Link wiped as much dust as he could from the front of it and bent down to read it.

_Beyond this hall lies the Gerudo's treasure storeroom, Robber's Coffin. If you are a knowledgeable Gerudo, you will know which paths lead to treasure and which lead to death. Robbers beware; you forfeit your life the moment you set foot in the next room. There is no return for those who desecrate this ancient catacomb. Leave this place while you still can._

Link put his hands on his hips. "Pleasant. It's nice to know the Gerudo were very hospitable people." He inspected the walls around him. "By the sound of things, there's an exit to this hallway, at least." He put his hands to the wall on his right and pushed. Nothing. He continued feeling his way around, looking for an exit.

He met limited success a few minutes later. One of the stones composing the wall behind the sign pushed in when nudged. Although nothing happened after that, Link knew he was getting somewhere. He felt around the same wall and tried pushing on every stone, but there was still no response. He expanded his reach to the walls beside him and the ceiling. A minute later, another stone pushed in.

_I see how it is,_ thought Link. _You're supposed to push them in a certain order. I wonder how long that'll take me?_

Thirty minutes later, the wall behind the sign slid open. Link, sweating from the heat and stress, stepped forward gratefully. As soon as he passed by the wall, it slammed shut. He heard the stones click back into place. _Looks like I'm all on my own now._

The room he was in was about fifteen feet across and perfectly square. It was completely unadorned save for a few more of the purple torches. Link couldn't see a way out of the room anywhere. He was getting sick of puzzles. He limped across the room, scanning the walls for clues.

In the middle of the floor, right in front of his feet, was a circular engraving. By now, Link knew the signs: it was a clue to solving the puzzle of the room. It could also be a trap. Experimentally, Link set his left foot down on it.

A noise echoed across the room. Link spun around, looking for the source. The noise had been quiet, small, and high-pitched. Something squeaking, like the hinges of a trap? He grabbed the hilt of the Moon Sword in case he needed it. He remained completely still, listening to see if the noise would sound again, although his own breathing seemed unnaturally loud to him.

A small sound...Link knew he hadn't imagined it, and making assumptions got you killed in places like these. He searched his memory. What was that sound?

A woman's laugh.

Link's eyes fell on something lying in the corner. He hadn't noticed it before, but it seemed to stick out now. It was a human skeleton, dirty and decomposed from age. He walked forward slowly. Something was on the skull's forehead. Actually, on closer inspection, something _wasn't_ there. A gaping hole protruded clean through the skull.

Another skeleton lying by the wall on his left caught his eye. The left arm rested right above the head, severed from its shoulder. When Link came closer, he noticed something unusual about the bones, especially around the head and neck. They were bite marks.

The more Link looked around, the more skeletons he noticed. How had he not seen them before? He drew the Moon Sword from its sheath and held it up beside him, ready to strike if the need arose. Something was not right with this room. Bitten skeletons and purple torches aside, something was messing with his mind. That had to be the explanation.

A warm, soft wind blew onto Link's neck. He jabbed his elbow behind him on impulse and spun around. There was nothing there. Something had been breathing on him, he was sure of it. The woman's laugh flitted across the room again. The echo made it impossible to tell where it came from.

"Show yourself!" Link shouted.

He made the Moon Sword shine and held it in front of him, casting the light across the room. Even the Moon Sword's powers couldn't reveal his enemy's location. Link couldn't help but feel as if he'd never faced a more intimidating opponent.

Something moved to his right. Link shifted the Moon Sword's rays to see it better. He didn't see anything at first. After a few seconds, something moved again. It was a faint purple mist, gliding towards him. When it came close enough, Link swung at it. It backed up instantly.

"So you're my opponent?" Link asked.

Before his eyes, the purple mist compacted together and took the shape of a woman. Link thought she would have had very tanned skin if her entire appearance wasn't a constant shade of purple. Her long hair hung in a ponytail, and her nose was slightly elongated. Two scimitars hung from her waist. She wore loose, baggy pants and cloak that draped down to the knees. The cloak parted in the middle on the bottom front and back, giving it a sort of authoritative aura. Overall, she was beautiful. The circumstances still didn't make Link want to ask her out.

"Who are you?" he asked.

She laughed again. "So rude. Women like men with a sensitive side."

"Look, I'm not here to pick up dates," Link snapped. "I'm looking for the Constellation Compass. You can show me where it is or get out of my way."

"Your search won't take you very far. There's no way forward in this room. The path to our treasure was sealed off long ago."

"I don't want treasure. I just want - "

"I have nothing against you, rude comment aside. The door shut behind you, but I know a way out of here. I'll lead you out if promise to be nicer." Link glared at her. "You'll get no further, and you can't leave without me anyway. Who knows, maybe you'll find your Constellation Compass through a different route." She extended her hand.

Link stared at the outstretched hand and considered the offer. Her soothing voice and words made him want to accept her gift.

"Come," she whispered. "You've been wandering in the desert for days, I know. You're hungry, thirsty, tired...needed by the people back home. Why waste your time in this decrepit old place any longer?"

He was a second away from accepting her offer when he glanced at the partially-eaten skeleton lying behind her. His eyes refocused on hers. "Keep your lies to yourself. You're not dissuading me."

She raised her eyebrows. "Lies? I mean you no harm. I'll be honest, I don't want you here. This is my race's greatest treasure hoard. The treasure may not be attainable, but the fact remains you're still desecrating our grounds. I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Please, follow me out of these ruins."

Link motioned to the skeleton. "Please explain the half-digested corpses lying around the room."

The woman laughed again, but this time it was filled with cruelty. "You won't accept charity? Not even from me? Fine, what if I do you one better?" She gestured behind her. "I also know a way forward. If you're that determined to find your Compass, I can keep you safe from the traps up ahead. When you find your beloved Compass, I can see you out. Or you can leave by yourself. I don't want any harm to come to you," she repeated.

"I can keep myself from harm," said Link. "Your help is unwanted and unneeded. If you really want to help, you should tell me the way forward and step aside."

Her eyes seemed to shine with malice. "Still no? Aren't _you_ distrustful." She placed a hand on the scimitar on her left hip. "Of all the prey to wander into my lair, you've put up the biggest resistance. All the others never saw me coming. All the same, you'll make a nice appetizer after forty-eight years since the last one."

She drew both scimitars at once and slashed at his neck. He backed away and swung the Moon Sword at her belly. She readjusted her body so that it missed her by an inch. As he backed up, she jumped at him and swung both scimitars down at his head. He blocked the attack with an upwards stroke, but she landed and swept his legs out from under him with a kick before he could regain his senses. The Moon Sword fell from his hands and clattered across the floor away from him. Stabbing her scimitars into the ground on each side of his head, she leaped on him and sank her teeth into his neck. Enraged, Link bashed the side of her head with his fist. She wouldn't budge. If he wasted any more time, she would tear a chunk of his neck off. With no time for subtlety, Link jabbed at her eyes with his fingers. Even the paranormal could feel pain, Link realized, as she howled and leaned off of him. He rolled to his feet, grabbed his sword, and faced her again.

He was just in time to see a scimitar thrown at him. He stepped to the side before it could impale him and felt it whoosh past him. The Gerudo specter dashed at him, sword raised. Link met her attack with a strike of his own and charged his blade with lunar energy. The resulting blast knocked her off balance long enough for him to plunge his sword into her stomach. He charged the blade once more as the specter raised the scimitar in retaliation. As she sliced down, he released the energy from the Moon Sword in all directions. Blue light flooded the room, blotting the ghostly woman from view for a few seconds.

Link lowered his sword as the light faded and the rumbling stopped. The only things left of the Gerudo specter were several floating purple particles spread around the room, slowly disintegrating.

The wall in front of him glowed purple in certain spots. The spots expanded until they touched one another and formed a perfect rectangle. The glowing portion of the wall slid down, revealing another way forward. Link didn't fully understand how the door had opened, but as long as he was allowed through, he wasn't overly concerned.

He pressed his hand to the side of his neck. It was bleeding from when the Gerudo specter had bitten him. Not profusely, but it couldn't go unchecked for long. He tore off a strip of the white shirt underneath his tunic and wrapped it around his neck. It wasn't an excellent alternative to healing, but it would have to do for now.

A subsequent narrow hallway took him to a large rectangular room that looked similar to the one he was just in. The door shut behind him. Only two things stood out in this room. One was that it was much wider than the room before. Two, there was a golden sarcophagus set into the wall opposite him. He knew the drill: it was either the way forward or a trap. Or both.

With the Moon Sword firmly in his hand, Link gripped the edge of the sarcophagus lid and thrust it to the side. It slid around the coffin and disappeared into a thin crevice. He jumped back, expecting a surprise. Instead, there was just a skeleton, which was to be expected from a coffin. Its bony hands rested on its ribcage as if sleeping peacefully. Gravity didn't slide it out of the sarcophagus and onto the floor, either. More Gerudo mischief.

Link looked around to make sure nothing else had been disturbed. If he heard another woman's laugh, he'd probably go insane. Perhaps the suspense was part of Robber's Coffin's guard against thieves. He inched closer to the skeleton and peered inside the coffin. He didn't know what he was looking for; a button, maybe, or a trapdoor.

The skeleton opened its eyes.

Link yelped and staggered back. He'd expected as much, but it was still frightening. The skeleton didn't even _have_ eyes, just empty sockets. But something seemed to have lifted from the dark hollows in the skull, and what were undeniably eyes were looking back at him. The white parts were pitch black, the irises were purple (a recurring theme, Link noticed), and the pupils were slit like a lizard's. Link stepped to the side. The eyes followed him.

"I see you, little fleshling," the skeleton moaned. Its voice was unnaturally deep, and its jaw didn't move when it spoke. "You bear no resemblance to a Gerudo. State your name."

"What'll you do if I tell you that?" Link demanded.

"State your name and we'll see if you can pass."

Link hesitated, but decided to appease the skeleton. "My name is Link. What are you?"

"I guard the passage to the third test. Answer four questions correctly, and you may pass to the next room."

"Four questions? What happens if I get one wrong?"

"Question one: What distinguishes between day and night to raise the living from the dead? Though it soars, it cannot escape its own captivity."

Link lowered his sword in thought. Day and night? Raising the living from...? Link had had to overcome many puzzles before, but never word games, which he was consistently terrible at. _Zelda, I could use your Wisdom right about now._ He thought for another twenty seconds. "The...the moon?"

A grinding sound came from the left and right. The ground faintly rumbled. Link turned to the wall on his left in astonishment. Unless his mind was playing tricks on him, it was gradually getting closer to him. He checked the wall on his right and reached the same conclusion.

"The more questions you answer wrong," the skeleton growled, "the quicker the walls will close in. Presently, you have close to three and a half minutes before you're crushed."

Link grit his teeth. If this was the case, he was doomed. He brainstormed, going over the riddle in his head over and over again. _Distinguishes between day and night to raise the living from the dead...soars, but can't escape it's own captivity..._ He decided to give the next best answer. "The sun?"

The walls clinked slightly faster than before. The skeleton tauntingly glanced at both walls.

_It soars...maybe it's not a metaphor. What soars, but can't escape...captivity..._ He was still stuck on the "raising the living from the dead" part. He'd fought many animated dead creatures before, but he had no idea what made them tick. The moon was his best guess, and that was out the window.

"A sundial?" said Link. His voice came out higher than he meant it to.

"Does a sundial soar?" the skeleton replied.

_I hate word games!_ Link yelled mentally. The clinking became faster. As if hit by the answer, Link blurted out his next guess. "A...a rooster!"

"Question two: What facilitates the flame as well as destroys it? At times, it is as strong as a battering ram or as weak as a feather. It is as fleeting as the waves in an ocean."

Link frowned. "An ocean?" The walls closed in faster. "That wasn't an answer!"

"Hurry," said the skeleton. "You have little more than a minute left to your life now."

_What facilitates the flame as well as destroys it..._ Link got the feeling the question would be a great deal easier to answer if he knew what the word "facilitate" meant. He focused on the last two parts instead. Strong as a battering ram, yet at times weak as a feather. It was also as fleeting as the waves in an ocean...

"Love?" Link ventured.

The walls clinked faster.

_Facilitate..."facilitate" must be the opposite of what destroys a flame. So, I guess it...builds it up?_

"Wind?" Link guessed.

"Question three: What gives birth to the mother as the mother gives birth to the daughter? Some of its sisters are wild and treacherous, while its other sisters are calm and quiet."

"Oh, give me a break!" Link shouted. To his relief, the clinking pattern of the walls stayed the same. The riddle made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Was it referring to an animal? The first part was obviously a metaphor. Link was familiar with all kinds of creatures, and never did he hear of an animal that gave birth to its mother as its mother gave birth to it. He got the impression the answer wasn't of a creature at all. _Why_ did he have to suck at word games so much...?

The walls were now close enough to make Link feel insanely claustrophobic. If he stepped once to the side and stretched out his arm, he could touch the wall with his fingertips. He didn't dare get a question wrong. It would be the end of him for sure.

He closed his eyes and tried to steady himself. Some of its sisters were wild. Some were calm and quiet. Sounded like water.

"A river!" Link yelled.

"Question four: What has the sun as a hazardous ally? Its path is winding and uncertain. To move forward with its life, it leaves itself behind."

Link now didn't have to lean over to be able to touch the walls with his hands. He had several answers in the making already, but he didn't want to take chances lest he get crushed. He considered every alternative. Was that last part literal or figurative? It was so difficult to tell with this skeleton.

"Can't you give me a hint?" Link pleaded.

"You are too late to stop your fate," the skeleton mocked. "Enjoy your last moments."

Link raised the Moon Sword and slashed at the skeleton, cutting a hand and some of its ribs off. The skeleton laughed a deep, haunting cackle. Acting on a whim, Link jammed the sword between the walls in an effort to stop them. Although it worked for the time being, the strain of keeping the sword in place was almost unbearable.

"Is it sand?" Link groaned. Sweat dripped from his forehead.

The gears moving the walls began clinking to life once more. The wall on Link's right slowly pushed its way past the blade. If he didn't act quickly, he wouldn't be able to take the Moon Sword with him even if he did get out alive.

_I've got one guess left._ "A snake!"

The skeleton laughed again. The back of the sarcophagus slid to the left, taking the skeleton with it. Beyond was the hallway to another room. Link pulled his sword from the wall, squeezed past the closing faces, and ran through the sarcophagus. The back of the coffin instantly closed behind him.

"You are very lucky, fleshling," the skeleton's voice rumbled.

Link sat down, emotionally and physically drained. _I'd rather face a dozen of those Gerudo specters than one more of him,_ he thought. He wondered if the tests were designed to be harder the farther in you got. If that was the case, was there any hope for him? He took a swig of his canteen, trying not to deplete the precious little water he had left.

Fifteen minutes later, he stood up, energized for a brief bit, and limped down the length of the hallway. Small trickles of blood were running down his neck from the bite wound. At this rate, he wondered if he'd even make it through Robber's Coffin alive. Most people, he understood, didn't.

The next room was even larger than the last one. The traditional purple torches lined the walls. At the far end of the room was a staircase leading to a rectangular opening in the wall in front of it. On the ground were big hieroglyphs of what looked like various animals. Link counted twenty-eight of them; four up, seven over. It was essentially a giant grid. Link didn't like the feel of that.

The voice of a woman came from behind him. Link's heart nearly leapt into his throat. He whirled around, sword down by his side but ready for attack. The voice sounded again.

"Link? Link, are you here? Link?"

_I know that voice_, thought Link. _What's she doing here?_

A young woman emerged from the darkness of the hallway. Princess Zelda. Kain and Byron were beside her, drenched with sweat as Link himself was. The princess was wearing what he had last seen her in, albeit much grungier and slightly wet from sweat as well.

"Zelda?" Link asked. "What are you doing here?"

He was genuinely surprised. Was it really Zelda? Why would she brave the desert just to reach him? Relief, concern, and apprehension filled his mind.

"I meant to tell you something before you left," she replied, "but you had already gone. Are you alright?"

Link exhaled. "Honestly? No. But I'm doing the best I can." He looked at her two bodyguards. "So, what is it you want to tell me? Shouldn't you be back in Hyrule?"

"The princess's message is too important for that," Kain explained. "It was imperative that she tell you directly."

Panting, Zelda stepped forward. Byron supported her to keep her from falling down. Kain brought up the rear, glancing behind him to make sure nothing was following them.

"It's about the Constellation King," she said. "Right before you left, we discovered important information on him. I wanted to tell you not to go to the desert, but you left before we could reach you. We followed you for awhile, though we were always a step or two behind. Thankfully, Kain's a good tracker." She smiled at Kain. The brown-haired man looked down at the ground and blushed.

"What's so important that you couldn't send a subordinate to do it?" Link asked.

"The Constellation King has already breached the surface," she sighed. "He was sighted down by Lake Hylia. Only one messenger survived to bring the missive to me." They looked each other in the eye for awhile. "I'm sorry, Link. This entire quest to the desert has been for nothing. I truly am sorry for how you've suffered in the sands, but this is the way things stand."

"In short," Byron grunted, "we're here to bring you back. Zelda couldn't send an underling to do this because the information was too - "

"Wait a minute," Link muttered. "This place has tried all kinds of tricks to get me to either get up and leave or roll over and die. How do I know you're really the princess?" He gestured to Kain and Byron. "How do I know they're really your personal bodyguards?"

Zelda nodded. "I understand your caution, but I can prove my trustworthiness to you. Let's see...the breakfast I gave you before you left for the desert was bread and cheese. I also gave you a red potion and a letter. You, along with Kain and Byron, escorted me down to the Safe Haven when Hyrule Castle was attacked. You...you were attracted to shiny objects as a result of medicine you took in order to cure your leg paralysis. You reached for my shoulder pad when I was talking on the day the castle was attacked."

Link softened his stance. "So you really _are_ the princess. Sorry for testing you, but..."

"We understand," Kain grunted. "We didn't have to put up with all the traps of this place, but after what it must have done to you...it's no wonder you were so suspicious."

Link tried to think of something appropriate to say, maybe a thank-you to the princess or some pretty speech signifying the end of his desert journey. Nothing came to him, so he turned back around and faced the grid of hieroglyphs.

"I...I appreciate your concern, but...we're this close to the Constellation Compass. While we're so close, I think we should get it anyway. It can't hurt."

"Unless you die," Byron said bluntly. "Come on. Don't throw away the princess's harsh excursion by committing suicide. Aside from losing an important figure in the war against the Constellation, it would crush her."

"I promise I won't die," Link assured them. "If you stay right behind me, we can make it through this grid maze - I'm pretty sure that's what it is. If I die, you can take the Moon Sword and leave."

"Link, please," Zelda begged. "Don't do this. We're already preparing strategies for the war. The Constellation Compass is not worth it."

Link stepped toward the princess, thinking of a way to get his point across. "Princess, I know how you must feel, but I've suffered, too. On my end, I don't want my journey to be wasted. Perhaps it's a selfish thing, but..." He reached out to put his hand on her shoulder. "That's why I - "

His hand went through her. He stopped and stared at the place his hand was supposed to be. It was as if it had simply disappeared when it touched her. He retracted his arm and his hand resurfaced. "You..." He waved his hand around her face. It passed through her.

The air in front of him seemed to shatter like glass. The pieces of his vision separated and exploded, accompanied by a loud breaking sound. Link covered his eyes to avert the strain. Panting, he lowered his hand and looked up.

The princess and her bodyguards were not there. There was no sign they had ever been there. Even the footprints in the dust he had seen them leave before were gone. Was that really just an illusion?

He turned back to the grid. "Very clever, Gerudo morons. You almost had me there. But now you've made me mad. No more tricks. I'm pushing straight through."

Although he was still shaken from the deception of his mind, he pushed it out of his conscience for the time and focused on the problem at hand. There were seven hieroglyphs he could possibly start at, and he was pretty sure if he stepped on the wrong one, something bad would happen. He decided to start at the hieroglyph on the far left and work his way down.

To test the seamless square, Link smacked the picture with his sword. Nothing happened. Still not satisfied, he charged the Moon Sword with energy and released it upon hitting the hieroglyph again. Five-foot-tall spikes shot up, nearly knocking the sword out of Link's hands. He regained his grip on it and moved down to the next hieroglyph.

He progressed in this pattern through the grid maze, memorizing the images when he discovered he'd picked the right path. He was almost halfway through it when he uncovered a slight hiccup.

All three potential paths from the square he stood on led to spike traps. He was certain he hadn't missed anything. He'd tested the other six squares you could potentially start on, and all of them came up with spikes. So what had gone wrong?

He remembered the mind trick the room had tried to put on him before. This room was also about deception, not just grid mazes and spike traps. After he'd accidentally let go of his sword on the third square he'd tested, he'd made sure to pull the Moon Sword back as quickly as possible before the spikes could knock it out again. But what if one of the spike traps was an illusion?

He tested the square on his left and had the sword nearly knocked out of his hands again. Testing spike traps like this was not high up on his Ways to Test Traps list, but it was the only method he could think of. The square that had been directly in front of him turned out to have illusory spikes that just went through his sword without harming them. Link stepped into the midst of spikes and found he could stand safely, though it was still unnerving to look down and see himself only from the shoulders up.

This new pattern continued until the end of the grid. Link warily smacked the floor around him with magic from the Moon Sword to make sure he wasn't still being deceived. When he was satisfied, he bounded up the steps, looked around, and entered through the opening in the wall to see what lay beyond.


	13. Chapter 12: The Dark Essence Tablet

The opening in the wall led to a stone staircase spiraling downward. Either through architectural stupidity or erosion from age, or a combination of the two, the steps were uneven and chipped. Link almost tripped and fell down the staircase twice. Even worse, there were no torches on the walls, casting Link in near-total darkness.

As he approached what he assumed was the bottom, he saw a faint light and heard a constant loud noise. It was the rushing of water. Link remembered the waterfall in the canyon near the entrance to Robber's Coffin. _I must be approaching the outside._

The staircase opened to a hole in the wall big enough for Link to walk under if he ducked. He went through it and inspected the surroundings. On his right was a downpour of water that put even the waterfall in Zora's Domain to shame. It was so thick that it obscured the stone passage Link was standing in if one looked from the outside, and the torrent was harsh enough to repel anyone's chances of crawling through it even if they knew what was on the other side. He looked up and saw a trickle of water falling onto the floor in a small puddle. He took out his canteen and filled it to the brim, then drank all the water he'd just accumulated. Satisfied, he filled the other spare canteens he had with him to the top.

The passage he was in looked more like a small cave. It didn't appear to have been tampered with by human resources. It was completely natural. The Gerudo had seized this perfect location to build a heavily-guarded treasure hoard around it. They couldn't have picked a better spot.

_I must be getting close._ Hope spurring him onward, he walked the length of the passage and disappeared through a hole on the other side.

There was another hallway with torch-lined walls. As this one was longer than the others, Link forced himself into a trot to pass through it quicker. On the far end was a doorway that led to a room lit a bit more brightly than any of the others he had gone through.

He entered into the room and bent over, panting. The room was lit up with a light purple color, courtesy of the many purple torches surrounding it. It was small enough to be a large closet and was exceedingly simple. The only two out-of-place things he noticed were a hand-sized clay tablet with runes etched on it and another wooden sign. The rectangular tablet sat on a stone shelf protruding from the wall. Link cleared the dust off the sign and read:

_Mysterious Tablet_

_It is unknown what exactly this tablet does, but refrain from touching it. Strange things have happened when the artifact has been touched, and we want no chance of harm to come to our treasures. Similarly, leave the star compass alone. The two items seem to be related, especially seeing as we brought them together._

"'Star compass'?" Link muttered. That sounded awfully like the Constellation Compass. If the two were related... Link stretched his hand out towards the tablet. He hesitated for a second, then pressed his palm on top of it. Nothing visible happened, but he already felt a strange tension in the air. Warm wind blew from the tablet. The runes on the clay rectangle glowed blue. Link resisted the urge to take his hand off.

"If anything exists in this tablet," Link announced, "come out."

He heard a voice almost like a hiss inside his head. _"You would order me around?"_ Following were a string of jumbled, almost random words. Judging from the choice of words, Link guessed the voice was insulting him.

"How are you related to the Constellation Compass?" Link asked.

_"In no way at all. I bear as much relation to that cursed object as you do to that sword you're carrying."_

Link drew the Moon Sword and held it upright before the tablet. "This sword? How do you know of it?"

_"Oh, word gets around, even from in here. If you have that sword in your hand, I take it my creations have breached the surface of the earth. It took long enough, but it looks like your civilization is finally coming to an end."_

"Your creations?" said Link. "Wait, so you're that...magician. The one who created the Constellation."

Without warning, a whirlwind of blue energy radiated from the tablet, enveloping the room. Link took his hand off the tablet and backed up, shielding his eyes. When the whirlwind died down, Link lowered his hand.

Standing before him was a tall man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. His straight black hair fell to his shoulders and partially obscured his silver eyes. He was wearing a black tunic with long coattails and red pants above brown leather boots. The image of a star had been tattooed onto his right hand. He almost looked real except for the light blue haze surrounding him.

"You're the magician?" Link repeated.

"We've covered that."

"I just thought you'd be...older, I guess."

The magician snorted. "Is that what they've said about me for two thousand years? I'm a gray-bearded, hunchbacked old man, casting spells to turn flowers into rabbits? Our world is as ignorant as ever."

Link gestured at the now-still clay tablet. "What were you doing in there? Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"I _am_ dead. Though, at the same time, I'm not entirely deceased... My creations, the Constellation, turned on me and nearly killed me after I made them. The Five Old Ones found me shortly thereafter and decided they could use me. Before I could die, they sealed my soul into that tablet. They called it the 'Dark Essence Tablet.' I've been waiting for someone to find me so I can help them against the impending Constellation war. Or so they intended." He glared at Link with a look of utter hatred. "I, on the other hand, have no intention of helping you. The world deserves nothing but destruction, and I'll do my best to ensure it happens."

Link returned the glare. "I don't need your help anyway. I'm about to get the Constellation Compass, and when I do, I'll kill the Constellation King and the rest of his offspring."

"Really?" The magician grinned and leaned against the shelf his tablet rested on. "You seem to assume the King is just some instinct-driven beast like the rest of Hyrule's monsters. Aside from being lethally intelligent, he's also too powerful to overcome with just that sword alone. Why do you think the Five Old Ones sealed him away rather than killing him?"

Link sheathed the Moon Sword and started toward the entrance leading further into Robber's Coffin. "If you're not going to help, I don't need to stick around here any longer. I've always beaten every enemy I've faced, no matter how high the odds were stacked against me. I don't care how powerful the King is. I'll find a way to beat him without you." He turned to the doorway.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but I doubt you'll ever reach him. The Animal Grid was supposed to be the final test before the treasure room, but my creations have other plans for you."

Link stopped and faced him again. "What do you mean?"

He laughed darkly. "I thought you weren't interested."

"Stop playing around. Just tell me."

The magician straightened up and paced around the room. "The Constellation may not have shown any affection to me, but they know what they need to do to stay alive. Many of them are waiting for you in the treasure room. But the worst of it is..." He stopped and looked at Link for emphasis. "They have the Queen with them."

"The Constellation Queen?"

"Yes. She wasn't quite as powerful as the King, but she's still too tough to beat. Especially seeing as one of the young Constellation seems to have found your leg." He pointed at Link's foot.

Link wanted to demand that the magician give him all the answers he wanted, but he knew the dark man would refuse. Somehow, he needed to crack his vengeful exterior and convince him the world needing saving. "Tell me something," Link said quietly. "If you won't give me any answers, can you at least tell me why you wanted to destroy life? What could move you to commit...such an atrocity?"

The magician laughed again, though his softened posture indicated Link had hit a sensitive spot. He stopped pacing and held his hands behind his back. "Well, I haven't seen a real human being in centuries, so I could use a little diversion. I had about all I could handle of that smiling Gerudo ghost.

"I was born into a family of magicians well-known around the area. My parents named me Solar, which was a pretty common name among my clan. My clan practiced dark magic, which earned them a dubious reputation for quite awhile. It took a long time for them to be accepted. Most people have this superstition about dark magic, like it's inherently evil. 'The magic is only as wicked as its master.' That was a proverb passed around my family like bread at a dinner table. We needed it to reassure ourselves. There were too many stares from the villagers.

"Our branch of dark magic was fueled by starlight. My clan was called the Stargazers because of that. Our village was located in southwestern Hyrule. It was primarily a farming community, but most members of my family were blacksmiths who used their Star Magic to create anything the villagers needed.

"My life was pretty normal for the first nineteen years of existence. I helped in the forge and practiced Star Magic when I could. I didn't see any reason why my life should change. Catastrophes happen everywhere, but humans tend to think they're invincible, that accidents only happen to other unfortunate saps." He gave his low, dark laugh again.

"One day, I was forcibly moved from fantasy to reality. My parents were working in the forge. We often used our Star Magic to create potions and ointments and the like which helped with forging. One of my parents - so it's speculated - grabbed a special potion and tried to use it on the tool they were making." Solar looked at the wall, lost in memory. "These potions have never failed before, but for reasons unknown, they did this time. Rather than coming out slowly, the potion spilled onto the floor rapidly. The evidence suggests it found its way to the fireplace and caused it to erupt.

"I was goofing around with the village kids when the news came to me. My house was on fire, and my parents were dead. The rest of the house save for the forge was mostly untouched, but it didn't come as much of a relief. My family was not extensive. Most of my support came from my parents, and they were gone."

Link studied Solar's face. As sad as the memory was, there was not a trace of sorrow in his expression. He might as well have been talking about the life of some stranger rather than his own.

"I refused to live under anyone else's care," Solar continued. "I had no siblings, so I lived by myself, taking over my parent's trade. I slowly got accustomed to my new life, but I felt like I had an empty pit inside of me ever since. And there was something else gnawing at me." He returned to the shelf on which his tablet rested. "Nobody quite trusted me after the death of my parents. A few people outside my clan knew that Star Magic typically doesn't just unravel itself. A Stargazer must tamper with it. Some of the villagers convinced themselves I had set the stage for their deaths."

Link frowned. "Did you?"

Solar gave him the same hateful glare he'd given him earlier. "People like you are the reason I committed myself to annihilating civilization. Always judging before understanding."

"I wasn't judging," Link replied. He realized acting confrontational would only reinforce Solar's lack of faith in humanity. "I'm sorry if it came out that way. Can you please continue?"

Solar's scowl slowly faded. "No. I didn't murder my parents. I never would have. But there was no way for the villagers to know that. Besides, they had a motive. When a Stargazer dies, one who also practices dark magic can absorb the magic they leave behind and become a lot stronger. Doing so is considered taboo.

"I really have no idea how the Star Magic in the potion malfunctioned and killed my parents. I've considered foul play among my clan myself. It doesn't matter now; whoever murdered my parents, if they were murdered, are long since dead themselves.

"At any rate, I survived for six more years, spurned by some of the villagers but pitied by the rest. Life was hard, but I got by. Then I met Marietta. I'd never really loved another woman before. There were village girls I thought were pretty, and I know there were some girls who fancied me. Marietta was the only one I'd ever struck up a relationship with. Aside from being beautiful, she was intelligent, loving, and wasn't afraid of me. For the first time in six years, I found someone I could relate to, share my secrets and fears with."

A change came over Solar's face. His expression softened and his eyes filled with love. It disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

"I could come to her with anything, and I still wouldn't be a stigma to her. Even when my house caught fire again and burned to the ground. This time, it was carelessness on my part, but it just furthered the suspicion of the villagers. Marietta didn't care. She would tell me to ignore the opinions of others, that they didn't matter.

"I set to rebuilding my old home, determined not to let the work of my parents die. It was about half-complete, two weeks later, when a third blow came to me.

"It was during the night. I was getting ready to sleep when I heard a noise outside. I investigated and found Marietta outside my partially-done house. She'd been attacked by a Hylia wolf and was bleeding badly. She had been coming to me to return something important I had given her and was attacked on the way. I suppose she hoped Star Magic could heal. Unfortunately, it can't. She died in my arms before I even had time to register what was going on."

Link made a movement as if he was going to comfort him, then returned to his place. "I'm sorry."

Solar laughed darkly again. "You are? What if I told you the Hylia wolf was the symbol of the Stargazers?" He crossed his arms. "The old superstitions of the villagers came back. In six years, my parents had died through methods only a Stargazer should have access to, my house burned down, and the love of my life was killed by the Stargazer emblem. They began to think there was something evil about me. They thought the destruction of my house was the goddesses' retribution for killing my parents, and they believed Marietta had done something to anger me and that I killed her for it.

"You would think if a man was suffering as much as I was, he would be shown all the more sympathy. Not so when you bring in a town of uneducated, superstitious idiots. A group of them chased me out of the village and influenced the mayor into forbidding my return. I wasn't even allowed to attend Marietta's funeral. It tore me up inside, but I complied.

"I starved in the wilderness for days, too desolate to even build my own house outside the village. I wandered around for awhile with no real goal in mind. I traveled to Castle Town, hoping to find something worth living for, but I saw nothing good there. More discrimination, more corruption, more ignorance. I left feeling emptier than before.

"There was nothing to live for but myself. I went back to the village, barely surviving, determined to at least see Marietta's grave. On my way to the graveyard, I was spotted and recognized. The whole village descended on me. It seems the superstition and fear had spread while I was gone. When they got violent, I got violent as well. In the ensuing fight, I killed some of them. I knew I would die, so I fled to the graveyard. I was caught before I could find Marietta's grave.

"As they prepared to execute me, I finally realized what a flawed and terrible world this is. Most civilized life is so corrupt and inconstant that they can be your friend one moment and your enemy the next. The few reasonable ones tend to be so fragile that they die when you need them. Life is just like..." He waved his hand at the ceiling above them. "...sand. Here now and gone a second later. What's the point of existing in such a bleak world?

"Right before they were about to execute me, I made my move. I used a large portion of my Star Magic to create a shockwave that crippled or killed the villagers around me. I then went to my own clan's graveyard and did the unforgivable thing. Using more Star Magic, I brought up every dead body in the field, including my parents', and absorbed the dormant magic lying in them.

"This wasn't taboo just because it looked strange. Absorbing someone else's Star Magic exceeds your magical limits. Absorbing more than one clump of it guarantees you will die after an hour or so." He grinned. "I took in fifty-four clumps. How big do you think my chances of survival were?

"I knew I had very little time left to my life, and I couldn't do much damage to the world the way I was. So I summoned every drop of the Star Magic I'd gathered and ordered it to form a small army of monsters. The magic did the rest. Within a few minutes, the King and Queen, along with a few other creatures, manifested in front of me. That was all I had the power for, even though it was a star-filled night. I gave them the name 'Constellation.' I felt like it was the most appropriate title.

"Soon after, of course, the King tried to kill me. I didn't stop him. I knew I was going to die anyway. They left me for dead and went on to ravage the world, which was exactly as I intended. Moments later, the Five Old Ones found me and asked me what had happened. Basically, I told them their pathetic world was coming to an end and to go play in a dragon's cave. They sealed me in the tablet, where I've been ever since."

"So that's why you were so angry with the world?" Link concluded. "You were placed under a lot of misfortune. It wasn't fair. I'm sorry those things happened to you."

Solar picked up the Dark Essence Tablet and sighed. "Buttering me up isn't going to work. Nobody can change how corrupt life is. Not without destroying it."

"There's something else I don't understand. Who were the Five Old Ones?"

"Five old sages who practiced magic. They were particularly skilled at it, as shown when they later created the Sword of the New Moon and the Constellation Compass to combat my creations. They hung around my old village for awhile, probably to learn more about me. And when I came back for Marietta and the bloodbath began, they likely tried to intervene and found me dying."

He dropped the tablet back onto the shelf and walked to Link. Link thought how best to approach Solar with his next statements. Finally, he said, "You've suffered a lot. I thought I had a pretty tough life, but I was never rejected by society. As phony as it may sound, you have my sympathy.

"But think about your decision to erase life. You said it before: most civilized life is corrupt and twisted. In fact, most people probably deserve pain. But even if that's true, what about the people like Marietta? Would you kill more people like her just to ease your suffering?"

"All people die," said Solar. "Some will die sooner than others. Like my parents and Marietta. Their innocence does not justify a world of hypocrisy and sin."

"Would Marietta approve?" Link asked. "Would your parents approve? For all those that hate you, there are those that love you. Like a flower in a patch of dead grass, it stands out. It's worth living for."

"I'm not doing this for Marietta or my parents," Solar snapped. "This is for me. And it's not just revenge against a world that earned my trust and then betrayed it. It's purification. The world deserves vengeance, and it shall have it."

Link stepped closer to Solar and lowered his voice. "If you can kill Marietta, if you can order the Constellation to kill her like they would kill anybody else, I will throw down the Moon Sword and walk into the Constellation Queen's clutches without hesitation."

Solar's face turned first to anger and then to sorrow. "Marietta's already dead. It doesn't matter anymore."

"But could you do it? Could you kill her and tell her that her death means nothing? That her love and trust in you doesn't matter? You loved her. I know you did. When she died, it felt as if _you_ died, didn't it?"

Solar turned away from him. "I could never hurt her. I did love her."

"But with the Constellation running amok like this, hurting her is exactly what you're doing. You're hurting all the people like her. You're hurting the kindness she showed you. You're hurting her spirit, her memory. Every time somebody like her dies, she dies again. And this time, you're the one killing her."

Link could see the memories flashing through his head. Solar turned his back to him and took a few steps away. Silence passed for a couple of minutes. Link respectfully kept his distance.

Solar turned back around, a grin on his face. "Much of this corrupt world deserves pain and torment. I don't know whether or not I'm doing the right thing in my next decision, but I suppose I'll...gamble on it. I'll help you in your battle with the Constellation." The seriousness crept back into his face. "I still don't like or trust the world. Marietta's not alive to tell me what she thinks, but the only reason I'm helping you is to spare the ones like her. The ones who ignore public rumors and superstitions and befriend the pariah. The colorful flowers in dead grass."

Link sheathed the Moon Sword and held out a hand. "So, you'll help me?"

Solar glanced at the outstretched hand and laughed. "I can't exactly shake hands with the living, but you have my assistance. The first thing you'll need to worry about is the Constellation Queen. She's larger, faster, and more powerful than any of the Constellation you've seen so far. She can also talk, and she'll probably use her voice and image to intimidate you into not attacking. Don't be fooled by her. She has three tails which can shoot darts like rain, so you'll have to be careful of those. Even your fabled Sword of the New Moon can't keep up with all that."

Link nodded. "Got it. Don't listen to her taunts, and watch out for her tails and darts. Any weak points?"

"Mm. Probably a spot on the back of her head. The royal Constellation have crests meant to protect the tops and sides of their head, but they need maneuverability that doesn't weigh too much. Her hide will be extremely tough to get through, so aim for that spot.

"Now for the King. The King is in a class all by himself. The Queen relies more on physical attacks, but the King got most of my Star Magic, meaning he can use it himself. His hide is tougher than even the Queen's, so good luck getting through that, even with your shiny little sword. He can use Star Magic to increase his physical capabilities as well, but he doesn't have an unlimited amount of magic. The more you can wheedle out of him, the better, though that does put your own life at risk."

Link nodded again. "Okay, so I try and get him to use as much magic as he can. Can I assume the back of his head will also be a weak spot?"

"Probably. Still, you're going to need something _big_ to defeat him. You won't beat him with just brawn and guts. If there's some sort of magic you could try, or maybe a team of magicians similar to the Five Old Ones, you'd stand a chance. He's so quick and powerful he'd just crush you at the start."

Link's shoulders sagged. He didn't know what he could possibly use that fit that description. Perhaps Zelda would know, but he'd have to get to back to her alive first. "Is that all?" he asked.

Solar gave him a half-smile. "Almost. How would you like to get rid of that limp of yours?"

Link froze. "You know how to do that?"

"Of course. I designed the poison the young Constellation use to paralyze prey. The only two ingredients you need are red mountain herbs and medicine with high levels of light magic, such as Great Fairy's Tears."

_So no blue chu jelly?_ thought Link. _I did all that searching for nothing?_ "I already have red mountain herbs, but where do I get Great Fairy's Tears? Is some nearby?"

"Not just some. A pool of it is supposed to be on the way to the treasure room. From what the Gerudo ghost woman said, you have to crawl through a small hole in the left wall. The hole is apparently covered up by something. The Gerudo were denied access to this pool because they wanted the Great Fairy's Tears for the wrong reasons. You, on the other hand, might meet the requirements."

Link thought about returning to a life without a limp, just like it used to be. He smiled. "Thank you. Your advice is appreciated." He turned to leave the room.

"Oh, one more thing." Link paused and looked over his shoulder. "The Constellation is kept alive by Star Magic. If you kill the ones bearing the Star Magic, the rest of the Constellation will disappear. This means you'll have to destroy three things: the King, the Queen, and the Dark Essence Tablet."

Link stared at the little clay tablet. "If I destroy the Dark Essence Tablet, you'll cease to be, right?"

Solar laughed once. "Don't look so dour. I've been around for over two thousand years doing virtually nothing. Destroying the tablet would be akin to freeing me, not killing me. Besides, in essence, I'm already dead. Just save those Mariettas for me, alright?" He strode to the shelf, grabbed the tablet, and handed it to Link. "I can't break it myself because I'm tied to it. It won't work. I've tried. But with the Sword of the New Moon, it should crumble pretty easily. Now come on. Save your world...hopeless as your world is."

Link looked at him one last time. Taking in a breath, he tossed the Dark Essence Tablet into the air, drew his sword, and cut it in half. The tablet fell in two pieces on the floor.

The blue haze surrounding Solar expanded inward, blotting out the image of his body. After a few seconds, he was only a pillar of blue light taking a humanoid shape.

"Thanks again," Link muttered.

"Right back at you," Solar's voice said.

The blue light exploded, showering the room with sparks. Link felt no need to cover his eyes this time. Soon, the only light in the room came from the purple torches.

Link had a lot to think about, but the time to ponder them was not now. He sheathed his sword and picked up the two halves of the Dark Essence Tablet. No trace of magic was left in them, though they were still extremely sturdy. Placing the halves in his bag, he turned and left the room.


	14. Chapter 13: Tears of Joy

Link was still feeling numb from his conversation with Solar, the man who had indirectly caused the paralysis in Link's leg and this life-risking journey he was on. There was truth to Solar's beliefs about the world, but his method of changing it was wrong. Link shook his head. He could think philosophy later. His goal now was to cure his leg.

The hallway he limped through was taller and wider than the other passages he'd been through. Purple torches still lit the walls, but the hall seemed a little more refined. Link noticed designs and patterns in the walls, eroded from age but still visible. This definitely led to something important.

He scanned the walls for irregularities. Solar had said the path to the Great Fairy's spring was concealed. He'd also mentioned something about the Gerudo not being worthy to access the spring, but that Link might have what it took because he wasn't seeking the Great Fairy's Tears for power or greed.

Link found his answer in a stone slab planted beside the wall on his left. It was perfectly square and the same grayish color as the rest of the hallway. The Gerudo apparently hadn't been worried about subtlety when it came to hiding the spring. Link glanced down the rest of the hallway. No other blocks of stone or bumps in the walls stood out. Hopefully, this wasn't a trap. He stepped to one side of the slab, placed his hands on it, and pushed. Slowly, the square block moved forward. Dust and pebbles fell on Link's head as he shoved. His crippled leg really wasn't helping.

A few agonizing moments later, the slab was pushed far enough to reveal a man-sized hole in the wall, leading further into the caves. Link straightened out and stretched his back. A pop filled the hallway. He sighed. _Oh, it hurts so good. Please let this be over soon._ He walked through the hole, conscious of the lack of torches to provide light.

The ceiling was low and uneven, and Link whacked his head on it more than once. This was obviously just a side-road leading to an unintended discovery. Link wondered how long it would take for him to stumble into a snoozing bat. He tried to put the thought out of his head.

Light grew at the end of the tunnel, allowing Link to see somewhat clearly again. The glow was pinkish, and Link could feel the magic emanating up ahead. Anticipation filled him. _I wonder how frustrated the Gerudo must have been, to be so close to such a treasure but denied it._

The tunnel opened up to a large room. The hole Link leaned out of was placed about twenty feet off the ground in the side of a wall. Down below, water surrounded a small rock island in the center. The water was deep blue, like the ocean, but pink particles floated around in it. The entire room was around a hundred feet in diameter. Although no sources of light were seen, the room seemed to glow dull pink. Mesmerized, Link hopped from the hole and landed in the pool. The water came up to his neck, allowing him to swim. He made his way toward the island until he could stand, then splashed the rest of the way.

The room lit up brighter as a form appeared on the island. Small, glowing white orbs rose from the water and assembled above the island, linking to one another to create a being. The being formed from the feet up, revealing a female humanoid shape. As the head appeared, a shining pair of wings protruded from the back.

The woman he was looking at had green hair resembling ivy which tumbled down her shoulders. Although a slim white dress hung from her waist, her top was noticeably bare. Only her hair obscured the more private areas. Link tried not to see through what was beyond the hair. This was probably not a good time to learn about the female anatomy.

"I am the Great Fairy," the woman said. Her voice was slow, but reassuring and full of power. She extended a hand to him. Link took it, allowing her to pull him up with more strength than he'd thought at first. "I know who you are and why you are here. You possess the Triforce of Courage, which has been aptly given. You need a cure."

Link, who was typically not bashful around women, found it hard to speak. He averted his attention away from her eyes. "Uh...yeah. My leg is paralyzed as a result of, uh...you know..." He cleared his throat. This way no time to be timid. He forced himself to look at her eyes. "I've set out to destroy the Constellation, which are ravaging Hyrule. If I don't intervene soon, Hyrule, and probably the world, will be a wasteland. I need your help to save the futures of my friends. Not just my friends, but...everybody. Please, can you heal my paralysis?"

The Great Fairy smiled. "You are honest and brave. Few who come to me or my sisters possess the qualities to rightly carry the Great Fairy's Tears. I know you will keep your word and succeed." She placed her hand on his cheek. Link blushed despite his attempts at staying calm.

The water surrounding them began to stir like a giant whirlpool. The pink particles zoomed by in a blur, spreading until the water was almost completely pink and the glow illuminated the cave. When the Great Fairy stepped back, the water stopped churning.

"Step into the pool," the Great Fairy invited, "and receive your gift."

It was the moment of truth. Link walked past the Great Fairy, feeling dreamlike. He stepped into the water, wading until it was up to his waist. Experimentally, he cupped some of the Tears in his hands and scooped them into his mouth. Energy surged through him. Beneath the bandage on his neck, he felt the wound inflicted by the Gerudo specter start to close up.

He took his container of the red mountain herbs out and dumped the contents into the pool in front of him. With the same bottle, he scooped up as many Tears as he could along with the herbs. Taking a deep breath, he lifted the bottle to his mouth and drank it all.

Every wound and ache in his body disappeared immediately. All fatigue and exhaustion faded away, replaced by an unfathomable energy. Even his clothes began repairing themselves and clearing off the dirt and grime. Best of all was the sensation in his leg. The heaviness drained away, leaving his leg feeling...normal. Link hadn't felt normal in weeks.

"This should give you the strength you need to defeat the Constellation Queen," the Great Fairy said. Link waded back to the island, hoping his eyes would express his gratefulness. "You should also take another bottle for the showdown with the Constellation King. You will know when to use it, even when it seems unlikely."

Link didn't know what she meant by that, but he trotted back to the pool and filled his bottle with Tears again. He didn't bother taking any more with him in case the Great Fairy would frown on such behavior.

"One more thing before you go," she added. "You have been curious about the powers of the Triforce you bear, have you not?" Link stared at her. How much could the Great Fairy see? "You will soon bring the full might of your Triforce to bear. It is the only way you will eradicate the Constellation and save Hyrule. Do not lose hope. You will win."

The Great Fairy slowly walked to him. Link tried to find an appropriate enough statement to phrase his gratitude. "Uh...uh...thanks."

The Fairy smiled again. "I will take you back to Robber's Coffin. You must defeat the Constellation Queen while the effects of the Great Fairy's Tears still last." He reached her left hand out, fingers extended toward his forehead. "Use your spare Great Fairy's Tears wisely. In the end, choosing who drinks it will seal your victory."

Before Link could ask her what she meant, she touched his forehead. With a flash of light and a high-pitched ringing sound, Link found himself back in the hallway of Robber's Coffin. What was different this time was the stairwell in front of him circling higher into the caves. Link drew the Moon Sword. Its blade was glowing brighter than he'd ever seen it before. And beyond that, he sensed something dark up ahead. Something huge.

With the Great Fairy's Tears boosting his power, Link ran forward, determined to take the next step in ending the threat of the Constellation.


	15. Chapter 14: The Constellation Queen

Link bounded up the staircase, wondering how much time he had left before the Great Fairy's Tears wore off. The stairs were as uneven as the first set he'd descended down, causing him to nearly trip several times. The higher up he ran, the brighter his sword glowed, and the worse the feeling in his gut became. The dark magic in the air felt like humidity; it was something he breathed in and out.

At last, the stairwell opened to another room. Link reached the top of the stairs and paused. This room was much taller and wider than the previous rooms he'd been in. Dusty chests and trinkets lined the walls and sat on pedestals. As simple as the room itself was, it could have put a king's hall to shame. It was a thieves' paradise. It still didn't look like any thieves besides the Gerudo had ever made it here.

But all this was not what Link fixed his attention on. At least twenty adult Constellation (from what Link could see) stood either against the walls or in the center of the room. They clicked their mandibles at him threateningly. One lurched forward as if it was going to attack, then steadied itself and stepped back. He heard more Constellation moving around on the ceiling.

With his cured leg and Constellatia-slaying Moon Sword, Link would not normally have feared this many Constellation. What made the difference was the hulking figure in the middle of the room, barricaded by a wall of ordinary Constellation.

The figure had a shiny black twenty-foot long body shaped like a crab. At the end of the body was a tail twice as long as the torso and about as thick as a tree trunk. The tail was layered with what looked like scales, and thin needles roughly as long as Link's hand protruded from the tip. Eight legs sprouted from its body, although on closer inspection, "arms" seemed more accurate. At the bottom of each arm was a clawed hand with five digits, strikingly similar to a human hand. The monster's head was shaped like a human skull. Two large, bulbous black eyes sat at the front, sharp teeth rather than mandibles hanging out of the mouth. On top of the head, five long spikes stuck out, forming a crest.

As Link studied the Constellation Queen, a startling truth revealed itself to him: _Wow. This creature is ugly._

Beyond that, the Constellation Queen's weak point (according to Solar) was right behind her head, beneath her crest. Assuming Link didn't impale himself on her crest spikes first, he would have to hit a relatively small target before she did something mean to him, like crushing him with her tail. His job never seemed easy in the first place, but now it looked nearly impossible. He tried to remember the Great Fairy's assurance that he would win, but now he wasn't so sure.

"Ah, the Starless has graced us with his presence," the Queen taunted. Link didn't know what he had been expecting with her voice, but he found it repulsive all the same. Her voice was deep, broken, guttural, and not at all feminine.

"Are you referring to me?" Link asked, trying to keep his wits open. One mistake would probably spell death for him.

"Yes," the Queen went on. "Your direct rebellion against us and your possession of that sword have earned you the name 'Starless' among us. Aren't you proud of yourself?"

Link had just enough time to realize a needle was flying at his face before the Moon Sword moved on its own and swatted it away. He hadn't even noticed the Queen move, and he was pretty sure if the Moon Sword didn't react negatively to all things Constellatia, he would be dead.

The Queen laughed. "You almost died. If not for that sword of yours, you'd have a dart in your eye. I wonder what would happen once we took your sword from you?"

Another needle streamed at Link's head. Before it could hit him, the Moon Sword blocked it again. Another needle soared. Then another. Before long, Link was barely in control of his own body as the Moon Sword slashed back and forth. It was all he could do to hold onto his sword. He didn't even have enough time to launch a Moon Disk back.

Finally, the needle deluge stopped. The Queen laughed again, which sounded disturbingly similar to the cackle of the animated skeleton he'd faced earlier. "You have no hope. I'm only playing with you now. What are you going to do when I get serious?" She slowly stepped closer. "And then you've got the King. If you can't beat me, how will you beat him? And supposing you do beat us, what do you have to go back to? A world of hate and selfishness which only views you as a tool? I know of that mark on the back of your left hand. Someone will kill you to take it. That's all the Triforce is to them."

Link remembered what Solar said about the Queen: _She'll probably use her voice and image to intimidate you into not attacking. Don't be fooled by her._ As she stepped closer to him, Link found it harder and harder to keep his resolve. He tried to steel himself. The Great Fairy believed in him. Judging by her comment about who received the Tears he carried, she may have had prophetic powers to a degree. And if Link failed here, the world was essentially doomed. He couldn't afford to lose or turn back.

"None of that's true," Link muttered.

"You know it's true," said the Queen, lowering her face to his. "Don't lie to yourself."

"It's not true because I choose for it not to be!" Link yelled, swiping his sword upwards. The Queen scuttled out of its range. Pressing his advantage, Link unleashed a barrage of Moon Disks at her. She lowered her head and let the disks disintegrate on her crest. "I will win. There's no other alternative. Since I know that, you can't beat me."

The Queen grinned at him. "You really shouldn't have said that."

Faster than Link could keep track of, what looked like all of the Queen's needles launched at him. Link rolled to the side and created a shield out of the magic in the sword. It stopped around half the needles, but the force of the others broke it and passed through. Link blocked the needles that would have hit him with the Moon Sword.

Behind him, an adult Constellatia leapt at him. He turned and cut it in half, the Constellatia falling in two halves beside him. Several other Constellation followed suit. The magic of the Moon Sword caused Link's body to move faster than normal, blocking their attacks and countering with enough force to kill them almost instantly.

A shadow passed over him as the Queen lunged for him. He had just enough time to dive out of the way before her body crashed into the spot he'd been moments before. One of her arms lashed out, talons aimed for his head. The Moon Sword blocked the strike, but the force sent Link flying to the other side of the room. He knocked over a chest, spilling gold coins onto the floor. Stars flashing before his eyes, he stood up unsteadily, his sword ready for another attack.

The Queen turned her head and uttered a string of grunts and clicks. The Constellation who had been pursuing him stopped in their tracks. After a few seconds, they backed up, glaring at Link. He got the impression the Queen was telling them to stand down.

The moment she had finished giving orders, she leapt at Link, arms outstretched. Unable to jump to safety (and too dizzy), he called a surge of magic out of the Moon Sword and slashed downward, creating a glowing crescent of energy. The attack slammed into the Queen's face and pushed her back. The ground shuddered as she hit the floor. Landing on all eight feet, she flicked her tail at him. Link spun to the side, avoiding impalement by inches as the wall beside him cracked. One of the needles on her tail, which had already grown back, scratched his arm. She swept her tail in Link's direction, knocking several treasures off the walls and pedestals. The Moon Sword once again moved on its own, protecting Link from death, but the force of the sweep blew him back to the center of the room.

The Queen shot a systematic barrage of needles at him. Unable to get to his feet in time, Link let the Moon Sword swat them all away, using magic when needed to create temporary shields. He glanced at his sword and frowned. Its magic level was already below half. He couldn't take much more of this, or he would die. He needed to think of a plan, fast.

The Queen's weak point was behind her crest. Link needed to get up close to hit that spot. The problem was, every time he'd gotten close, she'd just smacked him across the room. He needed to work his way in, no matter what.

He jumped to his feet as the Queen again lurched at him, snapping her fangs at his head. He backed out of the way to avoid decapitation, then swung at her neck. She turned her head in time to have it bounce off her crest. Before Link could react, four of her arms grabbed him, dangling him above her. The Moon Sword tried to hack away at her arms, but it was too restrained. He knew she would pull him apart if he didn't do something quickly. Grunting from the strain, he issued a blast from the Moon Sword, freeing his left arm, then let it slash at the Queen's other arms. With a shriek, the Queen dropped him. Moments later, three of her fingers and a hand landed beside him.

"Cursed sword!" she shouted. Unlike other Constellation, the blood dripping from her hands was black. "If not for your toy, you'd be dead already. I didn't expect to lose some body parts during this fight!"

"You'll lose a lot more than that," Link warned. He wasn't intimidated by her anymore. He just wanted to destroy her, take the Compass, and leave.

With another angry scream, the Queen flung her tail at him again, accompanied by several needles flying at his body. He swung at her tail, using magic to create another shield, but one of the needles slipped past the barrier and impaled itself in his left shoulder. He slid across the floor, his blood leaving a thin trail. Yelping, he pulled the needle out and threw it away.

A whooshing sound above him told him she was about to crash her tail into him again. In desperation, Link dropped his sword and rolled out of the way. He mentally cursed himself. He'd just separated himself from the one thing that could beat the Queen. The loud sound of scraping metal resounded through the room as the tail slammed into the Moon Sword. Link stood up and backed away. The Queen raised her tail again and swung it diagonally toward his body. He lost his balance and fell onto his back. The Queen's tailed blotted out his vision. Was this it?

_I need my sword!_

The sound of something slamming against metal echoed through the room again. When Link could see correctly again, the Moon Sword was leaning against the Queen's tail, struggling to prevent it from killing its master. Shocked as Link was, he knew better than to blow a perfect opportunity. He grabbed the sword and created another shockwave of energy, blowing the tail away from him.

Unless he was going crazy - and at this point, Link wasn't discounting it - the Moon Sword had moved on its own to protect him. He remembered desperately thinking he needed his sword before the tail had collided. Could the Moon Sword respond to telepathy? Even more, did that mean Link had just spoken using telepathy?

_The Moon Sword will come to me when it's called_, Link realized. A flicker of hope bloomed in his stomach. Perhaps there _was_ a way, after all...

Growling, the Queen launched another torrent of needles at him. His sword swatted most of them away, but Link jumped to the side to prevent the rest of them from hitting him. He gritted his teeth. That tail had to go. The Moon Sword only had about a fifth of its total magic left, but he could do something. He ran forward, looking for another opportunity to attack.

The Queen scuttled forward, baring her teeth at him. Her tail arched over her back like a scorpion. Link saw his chance. As the tail jabbed at him, he rolled forward, feeling debris hit his back. Before the tail could lift back up, Link grabbed onto one of its scales and held on for dear life. The tail raised again, carrying Link with it. Thankfully, the scales were designed in such a way to give Link a firm grip, and the Great Fairy's Tears gave him a boost of strength.

As the Queen paused in bewilderment, Link's momentum carried the rest of his body around and allowed him to grip the tail with his legs. Wishing himself luck, he summoned up nearly every bit of magic in his sword. He left enough to carry out his full plan. Just as the Queen realized what he was doing, he slashed downwards, unleashing the pent-up energy of the Moon Sword. The room shook for a bit, both from the magical pressure and the Queen's shrieks. The rebound from the sword's energy felt like it was going to rip Link's arm off, but he firmly continued the cutting motion. He was pretty sure if he hadn't drank Great Fairy's Tears recently, he wouldn't be able to do this.

Eight seconds later, the blue shaft of light faded from Link's sword. Still gripping the Queen's tail, he fell in what felt like slow motion. The tail came with him. Despite his aches and pains, he couldn't help smiling triumphantly. The Queen now had only half her tail left. Black blood gushed from the stump.

"What did you do?" the Queen screamed, thrashing around. "What did you do?"

"I removed your tail because it was annoying me," Link grunted, shoving the severed limb off of him. "What's it look like?"

The Queen gave him a look of the deepest hatred one could give. He'd certainly succeeded in ticking her off, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. For one, his Moon Sword now had barely any magic left. He was pretty sure there was enough left to complete his plan.

The enraged beast stormed toward him, jaw working furiously as if itching to tear into Link's flesh. He stood up, feeling defiant, and threw his sword at her head. It bounced off her crest. Link hadn't actually been aiming to hit anything, anyway. The Moon Sword landed with a _clink_ off to his right. Nodding once to himself, Link ran to the left, forcing the Constellation Queen to change direction. He didn't make it far before two of her arms grabbed him, both bleeding from where Link had cut them. She dangled him in front of her face.

"I'll never enjoy a killing this much," the Queen snarled. "I'll love how the light fades from your eyes as I tear you into unrecognizable pieces. And then my children will feast on you, erasing the Starless from history forever."

Link looked at his sword. _Moon Sword, I need you now! Defeat the Constellation Queen!_

The Moon Sword flew up from the floor, spinning wildly. Using every bit of his concentration, Link guided it mentally, aiming for the Queen's neck. His success was announced with a loud crunch. The Queen's eyes opened wide and her jaw hung limp. Her stump of a tail, which had been waving about, fell to the floor. Gurgling sounds came from the Queen's throat, where a sword was lodged. She dropped Link to the ground.

Link brushed himself off and calmly walked to the Queen. "How do you plan to erase me from history when you're dead? Kind of throws a wrench in the works, doesn't it?" He climbed up her side and pulled the Moon Sword from her neck with a squelch. "You've terrorized the world long enough. I don't want you harming my friends anymore. I don't even want you harming my enemies. The Constellation have been around long enough." He raised his sword, injected the last bit of magic into it, and thrust it down.

Link hopped off the Queen's back. Her head followed suit a second later. The Constellation around the room could have passed for very ugly statues. If giant bug-like creatures could ever look surprised, they were now. Black, misting blood pooled around his boots. He looked around the room. "Party's over. Go home. Spend time with your wife and kids. I suspect you all only have a week or so left to your lives, anyway."

With a roar, the remaining Constellation charged him. Link made no effort to run away. Not only were the Tears still in effect, but the Moon Sword's default attitude was "kill-all-Constellation," meaning even if it ran completely out of magic like it was now, it would still move on its own to kill any Constellatia that came near.

Three of them lunged at him at once. Link held up the Moon Sword and let it do the rest. Each Constellatia fell at his feet, usually with a body part of two missing. As his sword flashed on its own, Link marveled at how far he'd come. The first adult Constellatia he'd faced had nearly killed him, and it'd taken forever to put it down. Now, he didn't even have to fear most Constellation, aside from the King himself.

By the time the massacre was over, around fifty Constellation lay scattered around the room. The Queen's beheaded body rested off to the side. Link sighed. Now only the King was left. If he could kill him, all Constellation would die, according to Solar. The end was in sight.

In all the carnage, Link had almost forgotten what he was there for in the first place. Treasures and items covered the floor, a byproduct of the massive fight that had just taken place. He stepped over a Constellatia corpse and shifted through the treasures. He was looking for the Constellation Compass.

Link found it around fifteen minutes later, buried next to a ruby necklace. It had to be the Compass, especially seeing as there wasn't a speck of dust on it. It was perfectly round and made of black metal. A wide hollow on one side showed Link what looked like a small pool of swirling light blue energy. A shimmering black arrow pointed to Link's left. That had to be where the Constellation King was. Another purple arrow shaped like a sword pointed to him. Puzzled, Link stepped to the side. Although the black arrow pointed in the same direction as before, the purple sword arrow followed him. He held the Moon Sword at a distance. As he suspected, the purple arrow followed it.

Link remembered how the Moon Sword had guided him to the Constellation Compass. It seemed the Compass also had a (more obvious) feature that would guide him to the Moon Sword if the need arose. Thankfully for him, he'd already acquired the sword.

He stood and looked at the doorway he'd first entered the room from. As far as he could tell, it was the only way out. Feeling satisfied despite the numerous spots he was bleeding in, he strode to the doorway. His mission to the desert was a success. Now, if he could get back alive...


	16. Chapter 15: Final Strike

As Link carefully tread down the stairwell, the Great Fairy's Tears began to wear off. The surge of energy he'd felt drifted away, leaving him in a dull state of awareness. He'd really pushed the Tears to the limit. If he'd spent much longer, the Tears probably would've faded and left him vulnerable. He wanted to thank the Great Fairy personally, but he was more concerned with getting home safely. He had a lot to report to Zelda.

The stairwell opened into the long corridor where he'd discovered the entrance to the Great Fairy's Fountain. He wanted to run, just to get away from the place as quickly as possible, but he wasn't up for it yet. What he really needed was a nap.

He passed through the room that had contained the Dark Essence Tablet. The walls seemed to blur as he walked by. He stopped only to get a drink from the dripping water behind the waterfall. When he had his fill, he continued his sluggish trek through Robber's Coffin.

After ascending another stairwell, he found himself back in the room with the hieroglyphs. He thought he could remember the way back; his experiences in dungeons had taught him good memory skills. He swatted each tile with the Moon Sword just to be sure it was the right one. Link discovered his memory was wrong twice when spikes shot up from a tile he had tapped and nearly knocked the sword out of his hand. With his newfound ability, he could just call his sword back, but that required magic, as he'd found out the hard way. If the Moon Sword shot out of his hands, he'd have to sit on his tile and wait awhile. Maybe take a nap. Perhaps losing the Moon Sword wouldn't be such a bad deal after all.

He made it out of the Animal Grid in one piece and entered the subsequent hallway. He arrived at the end and was met with the back of the sarcophagus with the talking skeleton in it. His hopes sank. Was he stuck?

The back of the coffin slid open to reveal the skeleton, hanging on the opposite side of the sarcophagus than it had before. Its disturbing purple eyes reappeared in its sockets.

"Hello," the skeleton rumbled.

"Yeah," Link grunted, "can you let me through?"

"Only if you answer some questions."

"Oh, please no."

"What was the answer to the first riddle I asked you?" the skeleton tested. Its eyes stared into Link's.

He returned the gaze with a glare. "A rooster."

"What was the answer to the second riddle I asked you?"

Link thought for a moment. What was it again? "The...the wind."

"What was the answer to the third riddle I asked you?"

"...A river."

"And what was the answer to the fourth riddle I asked you?"

"A snake."

The skeleton gave a short laugh, then moved the walls out of the way to allow Link passage. Muttering halfhearted thanks, he walked through. The sarcophagus closed behind him. The entrance to the next hallway had also been opened. Hating the place more with each minute, he jogged forward.

He entered the room where he'd fought the Gerudo specter. The half-eaten corpses still littered the room. Link listened carefully for the sound of the Gerudo's laugh. To his immense relief, he didn't hear it. He quickly walked through the room and arrived at the dark shaft leading up and out of Robber's Coffin.

Link smiled. "Freedom at last."

A minute later, he emerged at the top of the shaft and pushed the hatch above him off. Sunlight streamed in, causing him to narrow his eyes until they could adjust. A pleasant sensation filled him. Never before had he been happier to see a desolate wasteland. He climbed out of the shaft and lay in the sand. He was out. He had the Compass. He had done the impossible.

When five minutes had passed, he decided it was time to get moving. He closed the hatch to Robber's Coffin, hoping no one would ever discover it again. The world's greatest treasures were not worth the horror of that dungeon. Triforce of Courage or no, he wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep normally again after this.

As he walked forward, the sounds and smell of the waterfall began to fade. Nearly everything representing Robber's Coffin was going away. Even if he was stuck in the middle of a barren desert, it felt better than spending ten more minutes in the nightmare.

The ground rumbled slightly. Link thought he had imagined it at first, but the rumbling grew harder until it felt like a small earthquake. At the same time, a dark aura filled the air like humidity. The wind picked up, whipping sand around and limiting Link's distance of vision. His hopes sank once again. This couldn't be possible.

A deep laugh sounded from somewhere behind him. As Link spun around, he noticed black mist seeping out through the edges of the hatch leading down to Robber's Coffin. It was the same mist that had emanated from the Constellation Queen's blood after he'd killed her. Or thought he'd killed her.

"Ignorant little boy," the voice mocked. "You may have defeated me, but we're far from over. I have amassed all my remaining Star Magic to perform one final strike against you. You would have to flee to the edge of the desert to escape my wrath, and I will overtake you before then. Your victory here means nothing!"

As she spoke, the mist rose and began to take the image of the Constellation Queen's face, only ten times bigger. Eight wispy tendrils vaguely resembling her arms sprouted from the misty face. Link had no magic left in the Moon Sword. He couldn't fight.

Link turned and ran as fast as he could, pumping his limbs harder than he'd ever done in his life. He could sense the dark presence chasing him from behind. In addition, the sandstorm made it hard to see. He could very easily run off one of the Gerudo Desert's many cliffs and not know what had happened before he was halfway to his death.

He glanced behind him and instantly wished he hadn't. The skull-like face of the Queen was closer now, her tendrils skittering behind her like spider legs. Before he could look back, his feet left the ground. Just as it registered in his mind that he was falling, he hit the ground and rolled forward. Without losing time, he got back on his feet and continued his flight.

The ground sloped up, creating a tall sand dune. Although his legs felt like someone had lit them on fire, he forbade himself from slowing down. He felt the Queen's presence even closer now. She wasn't hindered by sand dunes. He wondered if staying and fighting would have any affect. As far as he could tell, she was just a collection of Star Magic. If he hadn't used all the magic in the Moon Sword, he might have been able to fight back.

Link reached the top of the dune and found the other side steeper than the first. He slid down the slope, spraying sand behind him. The Queen laughed again. She was right behind him. As soon as he hit the bottom, he took off at full speed.

Something grabbed his right leg. His momentum carried him forward and slammed him into the sandy ground hard enough make stars burst in his vision. He reached a hand out, trying to crawl forward, but the grip on his leg was too tight. The Queen hovered above him, blotting out the rest of the desert and encasing him in a shroud of black mist. He drew his sword, turned over, and swung with all his might. The blade passed through her without so much as tickling her.

The Queen laughed again. "Didn't I say it was hopeless? Your bold words are meaningless. Your screams of terror will bring me the greatest joy before we both pass on!"

Her other tendrils wrapped around him, completely restraining him. He couldn't even wave the Moon Sword - not that it would do any good, anyway. The Queen's misty face rose higher, then descended with a roar. Link grit his teeth and turned his head away. The Queen's essence slammed into him, filling him with the same dark aura that had kept her alive. With each passing second, Link felt emptier and emptier, like his soul was being drained. He struggled to free his left arm. His resistance grew weaker as his life ebbed from him. Finally, he lay limp as the light faded from his eyes.

The sandstorm raged on. The wind was the only sound for miles. This near-silence seemed almost sentient, as if the world truly mourned for the death of its hero.


	17. Chapter 16: A Battlefield Awaits

Zelda resisted the urge to cover her eyes with her hand. For, what - two hours? Three hours? - she'd been sitting at a wooden table in the room she'd counseled Link in days before, listening to soldiers, officials, nobles, and more soldiers debate about Hyrule's future. She wasn't upset that she had to be here. The meeting had to be done to ensure Hyrule wouldn't be overrun by giant bugs in the near future. She was upset because, for once, she felt so helpless and devoid of hope.

As an armor-clad soldier waved his hands around on the opposite end of the table, Zelda considered how grave the situation was. First and foremost, Link was overdue to return. She knew he had the Triforce of Courage, but she'd hoped he wouldn't be reckless enough to endanger Hyrule's well-being to look for a potentially useless artifact in the first place. So far, she'd heard no word on him. She couldn't even sense his presence nearby. Without the Moon Sword, the war was as good as lost.

Secondly, Zelda had heard tales of the Constellation King and Queen from Umar, a local bard who'd supplied Link with the info he needed to start his journey. Supposedly, the two monsters were so powerful that, even after the five old sages of legend killed the ordinary Constellation, they had to resort to sealing the King and Queen instead of destroying them outright. Zelda considered sealing them away again, but that would just leave the problem to a future generation to solve. She couldn't do that. Not now, anyway.

Thirdly, Hyrule's soldiers were tired and lacking in numbers and morale. They'd just been hit by Ganondorf's forces several months before, and now an even more intimidating enemy (if that was possible) had emerged. She'd seen the hopelessness on the faces of every soldier she met. Their expressions all said one thing: _I'm going to die here._ And honestly, Zelda couldn't tell them otherwise in good conscience.

And finally, the Constellation were so powerful and mobile. They'd been able to easily undermine Hyrule Castle's defenses mere days ago. Creating a combat front was almost useless since the Constellation could just dig their way around it. This was an enemy they simply couldn't stand against. Not without the Moon Sword. For once, Zelda wanted to punch Link in the mouth.

All these facts came together to make a desperate situation seem impossible. The only known weapon to conveniently destroy Constellation was lost in the desert (presumably), Hyrule's soldiers were lacking in numbers and morale, and all their plans seemed useless against the Constellation.

"Barricading ourselves inside Castle Town will gain us nothing," another high-ranking soldier argued, "except perhaps our own death. The Constellation can get inside the walls of the city as easily as you or I could walk over a threshhold. In fact, they're _already_ inside."

"Then what do you suggest?" the first soldier shot back. "Stand outside the city walls? Wave torches to show the Constellation where we are and how scattered our position is?"

"No," the second soldier muttered. "But we should give it some more thought before instantly assuming the best defense is a good offense. History shows there's more to war than that."

Byron leaned down to Zelda's ear. "Permission to punch one of them?"

Zelda forced back a smile. "No, Byron." She cleared her throat. Everyone at the table stopped and turned to her. "Our first priority now is to ensure our citizens can safely evacuate to Labrynna and Holodrum. Has anybody heard anything more on that?"

The first soldier nodded. "We've confirmed that the ships we readied have all set sail. However, not every citizen of Hyrule is on them. Some, especially in remote villages, either refused to leave their hometowns or volunteered to fight."

Zelda sighed. Bittersweet news, everywhere. "And...Link? Have we received word from him?"

The same soldier shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, milady, we have not. We are prepared to send a scouting party to - "

"Not right now," said Zelda, although part of her wanted to say yes. "With the Constellation as numerous as they are now, it's doubtful anyone would make it to him and back safely. If you even find him." She tried to push her emotions aside and think logically. "If he does not arrive during the next few days, I will authorize several scouting parties to search for him." _Or his body_. Zelda shoved the thought out as soon as it crossed her mind. "I also want to know how our Constellatia weapon project is going. Do we have hope there, Lord Palos?"

A black-haired, middle-aged magician wearing a white tunic sat up straighter. "We have met with limited success. We've managed to create a weapon with similar qualities to a Constellatia, such a paralyzing poison. Nothing, however, resembling the Sword of the New Moon."

Zelda bit back a groan. _How did the five old sages do it? And how come, millennia later, we can't?_ She swallowed and continued. "So, now we know where we stand on individual projects. So far, none of the plans we've conjectured have been foolproof, but no plan is. I think the most effective scenario we've come up with is luring the Constellation into Castle Town, then sealing it and blowing it up with a magic-infused bomb. Even so, this will cost us more Hylian lives than I am willing to sacrifice, and it will only decimate a small portion of the Constellation. We would also lose Castle Town."

"Correct." A soldier wearing red and gold armor rested his chin on his hand. "But I like the idea of luring the Constellation somewhere and dealing a heavy blow to them. We just need to refine it so that we don't lose so much in the process."

"We must also remember," Zelda pointed out, "that our enemy is more cunning than we think. They're not mindless beasts. They are every bit as intelligent as we are, only more bloodthirsty. We must not ambush them haphazardly, or they'll suspect a trap."

"_And_ they can tunnel underground," the soldier added. "What a mess."

Zelda leaned back and closed her eyes. Ambushing...sealing...nothing seemed to work well enough. With every plan came too many risks to pull off effectively. And beyond that...they couldn't win the war without something large to turn the tides. She'd send troops to look for Link and/or the Moon Sword later, but they needed to survive until then. She'd even considered uniting the Triforce and using it to wipe the Constellation from the land, but that in itself was a nearly impossible task. Nobody knew where the Triforce of Power had gone to after it left Ganondorf, and if Link was truly dead, then the Triforce of Courage would have left him as well. It could take years to find the missing pieces.

More and more, one message stuck out in every plan: _We will not win_. They could slow the Constellation down. They could put a dent in their forces. But without a massive weapon to destroy the Constellation, they were fighting a losing battle.

Was this the end of Hyrule?

Perhaps that was the best way to look at each plan; as if to weaken the Constellation but accept that they wouldn't kill all of them. They could pave the way for somebody else to take care of them.

Scenarios began to race through Zelda's head. She discarded most of them as they entered her conscience, but little details would stay behind. If only she could piece those details into a larger picture...

"No matter how you look at it," another official was saying, "we can't destroy Castle Town. If we do, we destroy our main source of food, we destroy our barracks, we destroy the castle - again..."

"And yet," Palos added, "as you said before, luring them out to the middle of nowhere can backfire too easily. We'd be out of our element, surrounding by giant, flesh-eating bugs, and lacking in both resources and manpower. We've got to think closer to home."

_Closer to home_... Zelda's thought pattern shifted again.

First, she decided, they would have to guard themselves against the advantages the Constellation had over them - the biggest concern being their ability to tunnel underground. She wasn't sure how powerful the Constellation's digging ability was, but she was also certain the Hylian soldiers wouldn't have nearly enough time or supplies to reinforce the ground they stood on. No impenetrable barriers there. Unless, of course, it was done by magic...but that required too much magic. Still, it was an intriguing idea.

Then there was the Constellation King himself. Zelda hadn't the faintest idea what he would be like. Unfortunately, they'd have to wait until he appeared and obliterated half her forces before they could plan for him. With the limited amount of soldiers she had, it was almost guaranteed they couldn't kill him. If the information on his abilities survived, however, someone else - Labrynna, perhaps - could finish the job.

"Lord Palos?" Zelda interrupted. The council turned to her again. "How many magicians do you have under your command?"

Palos thought for a moment. "Sixty...three? Yes, sixty-three. Some are just in training, however."

Zelda clasped her hands together on the table and leaned forward. "And how many are working on the Constellatia weapon?"

"Just four, milady. Not counting myself."

Zelda backed her chair out, stood up, and began pacing. Kain and Byron, as her hired shadows, followed her. "If I leave those four magicians to continue working on the Constellatia weapon, there will be at least sixty-one magic-users, including myself, who are able to actively participate in other work.

"You are all right; if we abandon Castle Town, we will be out of our element and more open to attack. If Castle Town is destroyed, we lose many of our resources. Therefore - " She stopped for emphasis. Kain accidentally bumped into her. Byron smacked him upside the head. "Therefore, we should stay in and around Castle Town and defend it to the last man. Normally, the Constellation could simply crawl under or climb over the city walls. With enough magicians, however, we may be able to negate that."

Palos's eyes seemed to grow brighter. "By creating magical barriers, we could keep the Constellation out."

"Precisely. Similar to how Ganondorf created a barrier surrounding Hyrule Castle." She resumed her pacing, though not as quickly as before. Kain and Byron reluctantly followed her. "But my abilities do not...extend as far as Ganondorf's, and we'll be projecting a barrier over a much larger area. For this, we'll need as many mages as we can. I'm not sure how long we can hold a barrier for, but the longer the better."

All eyes followed her. Zelda thought for a few more moments. She could get a barrier to keep the Constellation out...then what? The discussion they'd had about ambushing the Constellation flitted into her memory. They could lure them to an area around Castle Town. They wouldn't be able to tunnel in because of the barrier. So long as the mages could hold out, none of the Constellation, save for maybe the King and Queen, would be able to penetrate the barrier. But how to lure the Constellation to one spot?

"We'll create two weak points in the barrier," Zelda said, looking at the ground.

Palos blinked. "I'm sorry? You want to weaken areas of the barrier?"

"The Constellation are not normal creatures," Zelda repeated. "They would sense weak points of the barrier, points they could potentially break through. This would lure them to those spots, where we could keep them occupied with ground forces and launch projectiles on them from above."

Palos nodded. "I see. And if they manage to break in?"

"We'll have troops stationed inside. If a weak point is broken, the soldiers inside will keep them occupied until we can seal the hole." She sat in her chair again and pulled it closer to the table. She gestured for a soldier on her right to hand her a sheet of paper. When he did, she laid the sheet on the table and drew lines on it with her finger. Golden magic appeared where she drew, creating pictures. The other members around the table either leaned in closer or walked around to Zelda's side of the table to get a better look.

When she was done, there was a basic image of Castle Town surrounded by a circular barrier. The very top and bottom portions of the barrier were colored darker to indicate weak points. Dots inside and outside those points signified troops. A thinner collection of dots inside the barrier connected the two weak points.

"This is where the weak points will be," Zelda indicated, pointing to certain areas of the drawing. "We will have two large forces placed outside those points to combat the Constellation directly. Small holes higher up in the barrier will allow inside troops to attack with projectiles. If things get too dangerous around the two points, the other troops inside will gather at another location at the edge of the barrier. One or both weak points will carefully open and then seal while the outside troops retreat in. Does everyone understand so far?"

A soldier to her left nodded. "Yes. We're listening."

Zelda cleared her throat and continued. "When all troops are ready, we'll weaken the part of the barrier where the inside regiments have stationed themselves, and the fight will continue as before. While all this is going on, we'll need to take care of our mages. If too many of them falter, the barrier will collapse, and there will be no stopping the charge of the Constellation. Constantly supply the mages with food and water to restore their energy. Green potions to restore some of their magic must also be supplied. If this strategy works, we may be able to hold them off for a few days."

One of the soldiers rubbed his chin. "It's the best strategy we have so far. I'm assuming, of course, that this plan does not include the survival of the soldiers here?"

Zelda gave him a somber expression. "We are already dead, Vaire. The most we can do now is make some use of the time we have left and pave the way for other countries to defeat the rest of the Constellation."

Vaire sighed. "Yeah. You know, Hyrule was a good country. One day, I'm sure it'll be ours again, just like in old times. We just may not see that day."

Tears welled up in the eyes of some of the council. It took everything Zelda had to push down the lump in her throat. "The Constellation are already performing minor raids on Castle Town. I want this plan in effect by tomorrow morning. If we wait much longer, it may be too late. The Zoras will not help us in this war. Without an adequate body of water, the Zoras can't stay hydrated long enough to fight efficiently and survive once everything is over."

There was hope, but despair in that hope. The last soldiers of Hyrule would have a chance to make an impact on the future, at the cost of their lives. The only way Zelda could see life in the end for any of them was if a miracle showed itself.

The miracle she needed was last reported to be lost in a desert.

The rest of the meeting was spent discussing the small details of the plan. The Gorons would make up half of the ground forces and specifically would guard the weak points. Archers and catapults would line the top of the walls and rain disaster on the Constellation below. Those unable to fight or who were inexperienced would stay within the barrier and transport materials such as food and weapons.

Despite all their plans, Zelda knew the biggest element they needed was luck. Unfortunately, luck hadn't been on their side for a long time. They were still in Hyrule's dark times.


	18. Chapter 17: The First of the Last

Zelda leaned against the wall of the corridor and rubbed her eyes. It was late afternoon already. Her brain, wise as it was, was frazzled from popping out plans and ideas for several hours straight. Later that night, they would review their plans again, and before dinnertime she would address the troops and give them their orders.

A noble bowed his head to her politely as he walked by. Zelda gave him a weak smile and a nod in response. The smile faded as soon as he turned the corner.

"What do you think, you two?" she asked, looking at Kain and Byron.

Kain frowned. "How do you mean?"

Zelda sighed. "I don't even know anymore. Life. The war. Hyrule. What do you think will happen?"

Kain leaned against the wall opposite Zelda and crossed his arms. "That's a depressing issue. We're definitely not getting through this unscathed, I'll tell you that. We're going to lose a lot of our soldiers."

"Do you think we'll succeed?" Zelda asked.

"That depends on your definition of success. I think one way or another, this wrong will be righted. Even if that happens a hundred years from now. We can have hope in that, at least."

Zelda stared at him. "You still haven't answered my question, Kain."

Kain laughed darkly. "Ah. I'm not optimistic that we'll survive. But I think we'll do a lot of good before we die."

Next to him, Byron shrugged. "I agree. Besides, you're the bearer of...lots of wisdom. Your plan will work. I'm sure of it. Even if we're all dead and eaten by the end of it." Kain glared at him. Byron looked down. "Sorry. Inappropriate humor."

Zelda smiled faintly. "Well, I appreciate your honesty. Even if it is inappropriate." She closed her eyes, the smile sliding off her face. "I never expected to be crowned queen during one of Hyrule's darkest ages. In retrospect, it doesn't seem like I've done much for my country at all."

Byron grimaced. "Want more inappropriate honesty?" Zelda returned the grimace and nodded. He swallowed. "In the grand scheme of things, you really haven't done much for your country. That much is true. But considering you've had less than a year as queen and you started with a ravaged country, that's not too bad. You've given your people a lot of courage and hope, which not every monarch fresh out of the gate has done. And our last stand here will only work because of your wisdom." He shook his head. "Ah, nuts. At this rate, _I'm_ going to start crying."

Zelda looked down the corridor. Cracks and holes served as wall decoration now. "I certainly hope you're right."

"That I'll start crying?"

Zelda laughed. "No, that my plan will work. And thank you for your encouragement." She considered their conversation. "Hmm...I've never really been called 'queen' outside of ceremonies and official documents. I wonder what it would have been like."

"Try not to dwell on it too much," Kain told her. "I think the average person continued to call you 'princess' because they couldn't see you as a queen already. It was also something of a term of endearment. To the public, you'll always be their 'Princess Zelda.'"

Zelda thought about her younger days. She'd heard stories of an ancient hero or two saving Hyrule, but she'd never thought she'd be part of such a story herself. She'd always thought her parents were going to live, almost forever, and sometime die of old age. She'd be crowned queen when she was good and ready. Then both of her parents had been killed during Zant's invasion of Hyrule Castle, leaving her the immediate successor to and defender of the throne. Zant had given her two options: continue fighting and die a certain death, or surrender to him and live enslaved in twilight. She had chosen the latter option, and her life spiraled downward from there.

Then that age's hero had appeared in the form of a wolf and brought about the ruin of Zant and Ganondorf. Officially crowned Queen of Hyrule, she'd had to make a lot of adjustments to her life, but things seemed to be getting better. Hyrule Castle started its reconstruction. Everyone went back to their ways of life. Then, some months later, the Constellation arrived. Two enemies in less than a year, the second more powerful than the first...was this all coincidence?

Kain and Byron had been her bodyguards for years. At first they'd served as annoyances and invasions of privacy (in her mind), but she'd grown closer to them over the years. She knew they had families - families who were now bound for Holodrum to escape the Constellation.

"Kain..." Zelda wondered how to proceed. What she was about to say was a sensitive issue in a tense period. "Are you sure you want to be here? Fighting in Hyrule?"

Kain looked at her as if she'd asked him if "Hyrule" started with an H. "Of course. Why?"

She swallowed. "It's your family. I'm worried about, well..."

Kain half-grinned darkly and stared down the corridor. For once, he dropped his noble bearing. "Don't worry about it, princess. She'll be alright without me."

Zelda glanced at Byron, wondering how much he knew of what they were talking about. He turned away awkwardly. "You're her last living blood relative," she said. "She would be devastated."

Kain sighed. "This isn't...like last time. If I die, it's going to be for a good cause and because I choose to, not because...well, death comes when I don't expect it."

Zelda nodded lightly and licked her lips. "If you really want to stay here, I certainly won't order you away. But if you want to leave to go back to your sister, I won't stop you."

"I'm your bodyguard, princess. It's my job to stay and protect you, as it has been for the last five years. Besides, if I don't guard you, who will?" He smirked at his green-haired friend. "Byron?"

Byron punched him on the shoulder. "Oh, don't worry. I was always good enough to be two of you."

With all the windows boarded up, Zelda couldn't tell what time it was from inside the castle. Town messengers were already spreading word to the soldiers that the princess (or queen) would deliver what could be her final speech. She probably didn't have much time left before that event. "We should get going. I haven't even prepared anything for the address to the troops."

She strode down the hallway, leaving her two bodyguards to catch up to her. She felt numb, like her feet were moving on their own and she was experiencing this by looking through a window. If Link didn't come within the next day or two, she would die. So would the rest of Hyrule's soldiers and, essentially, Hyrule itself. Nobody would return to live in a country infested with shrewd, savage monsters.

_Link, where are you?_ Zelda had the gift of telepathy. As it tended to disturb people, she didn't use it often, but she would sense the presence of Link if he'd reentered Hyrule. She'd concentrated her powers several times, trying to seek him out. After awhile, it felt like looking for an invisible needle in a haystack. Was there any point anymore?

Link was overdue, and she couldn't sense his presence in Hyrule. She knew he didn't have quite enough supplies to last him this long. The only conclusion was that something bad had happened to him. The grim reality she didn't want to face was that Link wasn't coming back.

Then again, he had the Triforce of Courage. With the desire to save Hyrule, maybe it would keep him alive long enough to make it back. So why wasn't he back yet?

Zelda arrived at the door to her private chambers in what felt like so little time that she wondered if she'd honestly teleported. She checked behind her and found Kain and Byron still dutifully following her. Guess not. She entered her private chambers, thinking about the newfound irony. Her chambers were hardly ever private anymore, what with officials coming in and out and the sharpened security measures they'd put up. Still, it was better than being dead.

She lit up the room with light magic and inspected the surroundings. No Constellation as far as she could tell. Byron went through the usual, if unnerving, routine of checking everything in her room, including her wardrobe and cabinets. Kain stepped in front of her, ready to intercept an attack if it came.

For all the damage the rest of the castle had taken, Zelda's new bedroom was mostly undisturbed. Lush red carpet covered the floor. The doors to her balcony had been blocked off along with every other minor opening to the outside. Expensive furniture, most notable her large and comfy bed, filled the sides of the room. Due to time and budget restraints, the rest of the room was mostly bare of decoration. The only light came from candles around the room that Zelda had lit with her magic. As such, they never burnt out unless she said they did.

"Just think," Byron grunted after closing the final drawer. "The day will come when we won't have to do this anymore."

"How I look forward to that day."

He brushed the hair out of his eyes and grinned. "I thought you were going to slap me the first time we did this. And remember, as a disclaimer, I get absolutely no enjoyment from sifting through your stuff."

Zelda couldn't see herself the first time Byron had searched through everything from her jewelry to her panties, but she remembered how hot her face had gotten. No wonder Byron had been so concerned. "It's alright. Besides, you've already seen everything in my room for the past couple of weeks. It isn't like you're discovering anything new...or terribly embarrassing."

Kain looked around as if trying to find something less awkward to discuss. "Well, unless Byron is playing a cruel joke, there are no Constellation in this room. Would you prefer to be left on your own now?"

Zelda nodded. With a gesture from Kain, the two bodyguards left the room and closed the door behind them. If trouble arose, she needed merely to call for them.

She walked slowly to her bed, stretched, and sat down on the end of it. The last thing she wanted to do was strain her mind more, but she needed to come up with something for her address to the soldiers. What would she say? She'd heard her father give numerous speeches, but she'd only stood in the background (and not always paid attention). Now she was in charge of raising the troops' morale and making sure they fully understood their orders. One screw-up, and the strategy would collapse.

She grabbed a piece of paper and began writing words with her light magic as they popped into her head. As much as the situation lent them, she tried to avoid using fancy words and phrases. This would be a direct message containing the soldiers' orders and a morale booster to boot. Aside from trying not to cry in front of the whole remnant of the Hylian army, she wanted to seem as down-to-earth as possible in what could be their last days. She erased a sentence, shook her head, and continued to brainstorm.

After five more fruitless minutes, she set the paper down. Perhaps messages like this were best left spoken from the heart, not from a sheet of paper. She knew what she wanted and needed to say in general. The words would soon follow.

Besides, Triforce of Wisdom or no, who could memorize an entire speech in less than an hour?

Erasing all the words from the paper and putting it back in its place, she walked to her door and knocked a couple of times. Giving enough time for Kain and Byron to move out of the way, she cautiously opened the door and stepped out.

Kain bowed his head briefly in respect. "Princess?"

Zelda rubbed her temples. "Thinking about what to say to the troops doesn't seem to be helping. I suppose I'll have to improvise the speech."

"Winging it, eh?" Byron joked. "Don't worry, I trust you. The worst garbage that comes out of your mouth is considered beautiful poetry to the rest of us."

Kain merely stared at him for a moment. He'd long ago given up on trying to coax Byron into more noble-like behavior. In Zelda's world of lectures, flattery, and cleverly-disguised lies, she felt it was more like a drop of rain on a hot, humid day.

"Well," Zelda began, "shall we go to the balcony and prepare?"

Kain stepped in front of her to escort her. "You make the decisions, princess, not us. Byron?"

Byron assumed his place behind her. "Yeah, I'm ready. Whenever you are, princess."

Butterflies developing in her stomach, Zelda started forward. She thought the phrase "the beginning of the end" was a bit overused, but she really felt as if the beginning of the end was starting for her. The end of Hyrule. Unless a little lost miracle could find its way back to her.

They turned a corner, Kain and Byron scanning the building for any signs of intrusion or Constellation. Byron was right; one way or another, the strict security routines and measures would lessen soon. One way or another, good or bad. Zelda honestly couldn't fully wrap her mind around the fact that she might die within the next few days.

A carriage-sized hole opened the wall on their left to the outside world. An adult Constellatia had entered the castle there and gone on to wreak havoc. Most of it had been patched up, but due to the chaotic nature of the past week, they couldn't fully seal it off. It might be a veritable entry point for more Constellation if they found it again. More details to make Zelda's plan harder.

As they ascended a staircase and rounded another corner, a soldier bending over a small wooden table caught their attention. Zelda slowed and peered around him. He seemed to be writing something on a piece of paper. On hearing the arrival of the people behind him, the soldier turned around and smiled sheepishly.

Kain pointed down the hall. "You know the princess - " Byron pointed to Zelda on cue - "is speaking to all the soldiers in about thirty minutes?"

The soldier glanced at Zelda and looked down, sheepish smile still on his face. "I apologize, Lord Whitefeather, and to you as well, Lady Princess. I was just...finishing up a letter I started."

Zelda frowned. "A letter?" This close to the war?

The soldier nodded and looked back to the letter as if making sure no one could read it from there. "Yes. It's to my family, even though they'll never read it. Still, it makes me feel better putting it down on paper." He returned his gaze to Kain. "I'm sorry, I'll finish up. I suppose it's silly of me - "

"Take all the time you need," Zelda said. "Although I still expect you to be at the speech."

The soldier gave her a grateful nod and reluctantly returned to his work. Elated but unsure of what to think, Zelda continued down the corridor.

Silence passed for a bit. Somehow, Zelda knew Byron was thinking about the situation they had just witnessed. She herself couldn't help giving it some thought.

A few minutes later, a short distance away from the ceremonial balcony, Byron spoke up. "A letter no one will read, huh? That's an interesting concept. Kind of makes me wonder what I would put down."

One more emotional burden Zelda didn't need to bear right now. Even so, she began to wonder the same thing. What kind of goodbye would she tell her loved ones? She thought about Kain and Byron. Kain came from a noble family of which he was the last surviving male member. Byron had his humble origins in a band of merchants. Rich or poor, noble or peasant, it didn't matter. People from both sides of the spectrum were going to give their lives here. She was eternally thankful for their bravery. To play at the jaws of death without even knowing if you would dance out of the way before its mouth closed...she had to hand it to soldiers. Not counting the twilight invasion several months ago, Zelda had never geared up for war before. Some soldiers did this every day. It was mind-boggling.

Only around ten minutes or so before the beginning of the end. Zelda wondered if she could even do it.

* * *

All of Hyrule's militia and many of the Gorons were gathered in the royal courtyard, scattered below the ceremonial balcony. Zelda had only ever given a few speeches, the biggest being about Hyrule's recovery after the twilight episode. Nothing that had ever reached this scale. Armor-less soldiers spread from wall to wall, blocking out the normally-beautiful view of the courtyard. The sun began to set off to Zelda's right. Court officials and her two bodyguards lined up beside her. She tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach, which had just grown even more agitated.

"I am here to give you your orders," Zelda started, raising her voice loud enough for the entire assembly to hear. "The Constellation are growing in number and ferocity, and we will not be able to withstand much more of their violence. As such, we must declare war on them ourselves. I know this is sudden, but Hyrule is already crumbling. We must all work together now if we are to save future generations."

The assembly mumbled to each other quietly. Zelda knew they were all expecting it, and she had instructed the messengers who had spread the word to mention orders to start a war. She hoped they would all follow along easily enough. "This will not be a war as we know them. In fact, it will most likely only last a few days. What we are battling for is survival. The point of this war is not even to win. It's to ensure that those who come after us will win. The odds are against us, and I am not certain we will come out alive."

First the harsh demoralizer. Zelda cringed inwardly at her words, but they had to know what they were fighting for. She continued her speech after letting the effect sink in. "The Constellation are very cunning and extremely powerful. They have ways of undermining our defenses and overwhelming our offenses. After much planning and consideration, we believe we had developed a plan to deal heavy blows to the Constellation while keeping us relatively protected." According to all reports, Constellation could not understand Hylian language, which kept them from being eavesdropped on. With this in mind, she proceeded with the orders.

"A large number of magicians and I will create a giant barrier to encase Castle Town and keep us safe from Constellation outside. That said, there are still Constellation _inside_ that can disrupt the plan. I want a thousand men inside Castle Town's barrier to ward off attacking Constellation and send supplies and messages around. Another five hundred will directly defend Hyrule Castle and the mages providing the barrier.

"The barrier will protect us from all sides, including below us. However, we will intentionally weaken two low areas of the barrier to lure Constellation to them. Five thousand men will guard each weak point from the outside to prevent Constellation from breaking in. If such an event should occur or the outside troops need to retreat in, I want eight hundred of the inside troops - that's four hundred for each - to stand by the weak points and cover the outside troops as they retreat in. One hundred - that's fifty each - will attack with projectiles from holes in the barrier created from above. When all outside troops have safely come in, the weak point will be completely sealed and solidified like the rest of the barrier. The mages will then weaken a different part of the barrier, luring the Constellation to that part. When five thousand, four hundred more troops, or as many as we can muster, have arrived at that point inside, the weak point will open, allowing the five thousand troops out. The strategy will resume from there.

"The ground troops outside the barrier will be composed of five hundred of the Gorons Darbus lent us. The rest of the Gorons will defend Hyrule Castle. All hands not fighting or assisting the soldiers directly will care for the mages holding up the barrier. If the barrier fails, we are doomed. All the mages must be well-fed and cared for. If too many of them falter, the barrier will implode.

"That's the end of the battle briefing itself. Your commanding officers will go over the plan repeatedly and separate you into the necessary divisions. However, there are two more important points to bring up. Hope and disaster." The soldiers stared up at her expectantly. Some had tears in their eyes. A few were flat-out crying. "We are waiting for a...certain weapon to arrive back into our hands. A weapon that can drastically turn the tides of the war in our favor. Unfortunately, we have heard no word on the status of this weapon. If luck prevails and this weapon finds its way to us soon, we may survive this battle yet. For now, we must assume the worst.

"That was our hope. Now for our disaster." Disaster actually seemed like a very nice term compared with what they were facing, but Zelda didn't elaborate on it. "Among the Constellation, there are two monsters with enormous power that may be able to undo our strategy altogether: the Constellation King and Queen. We have no idea what these atrocities are capable of, but we know the ancient ones who confronted them had no choice but to seal them away rather than killing them. During this short war, we must find out all we can about the King and Queen and send the information to neighboring countries so they can stand up to them. If we can eliminate one or both of them, all the better."

The soldiers had received their orders. With all the doom and gloom Zelda had been preaching, their morale would have hit rock bottom. It was the moment of truth.

"We should not expect to come out of this unified and victorious," she announced. "Our chances of victory are too slim for that. But we must remember for who and what we are fighting for. Do not forget your families bound for Holodrum and Labrynna. Do not forget the land you have lived in and cared for. Do not forget the rest of the world, and the generations that come after us, who will suffer if we do not do all we can during this war. If you want your families to be safe, you must fight with everything you have. If you want Hyrule as a country to survive, you must fight with everything you have. And if you want your children, and your children's children, to live in a peace-filled world...fight with everything. For everything."

She swept her right arm across in front of her. "You can take a look around you. If we do not do everything we can to weaken the Constellation here, all you see will be overrun by them, perhaps permanently. Not all of us may live to see this country returned to its rightful state, but we can do all we can to ensure those who come after us do. Let the world remember us as a people who didn't give up, no matter how difficult the enemy and how impossible the scenario. Let us set an example for all nations to follow. Even if we do not protect Hyrule ourselves, we can lay down the foundation for others to strive forward. In this, we must not fail. We are...the first of the last. We have the power to change the course of the world for the better, and now we must use that to its fullest potential."

She gave as many faces down below a fleeting glance as she could. "So whether you're a ground troop on the front lines, an archer supporting from above, or a magician keeping your comrades safe, do it the best you can. Don't just fight as if your life is on the line, because the lives of all your friends and family are at stake. The Constellation must be stopped, and we will begin that sequence. We _will_ begin that sequence. We will lay the foundation for other countries to finish the job. We will make a difference. We will not just try, because we shall make it happen." She offered the warmest smile she could under the circumstances. "Make your country proud. I am already proud of all of you."

As she bowed her head to indicate she was done, the crowd broke into cheering and applause. Many of the soldiers raised their arms and shouted, "For Hyrule!" Her work done, Zelda turned and slowly walked back indoors, hoping nobody noticed the tear crawling down her cheek. Her bodyguards and the officials followed her inside while a general issued new direct orders for the soldiers down below.

Kain caught up to her and bent down to whisper in her ear. "We have about an hour before the next council meeting if you want time to yourself."

Zelda, not trusting herself to speak, merely nodded. Kain picked up his pace and resumed his usual position in front of her.

* * *

Once again, Zelda found herself back in her bedroom in what felt like an eye-blink. By this time, she had managed to regain a calm facade, but she wasn't sure how long it would last. Byron again went through the routine of checking every nook and cranny for sneaky giant insects. When he finished a few minutes later, he headed for the door. Zelda lightly touched his arm with her fingers.

"Stay, please," she murmured.

Byron glanced at Kain, who mirrored his puzzled expression. The tall bodyguard slowly stepped back into the room.

"You too, Kain," said Zelda.

Kain reentered the room and silently closed the door behind him. Zelda crossed the floor and sat on her bed, trying not to look too dejected. Kain stood at the foot of the bed, eyes focused on Zelda. "That was a moving speech you gave."

The princess nodded. Byron let off a small laugh. "Looks like you were right after all. Well, kind of. Did anybody notice the tears gathering in my eyes near the end of your speech?"

Zelda tried to grin, then sighed. "I'm...not entirely sure why I even asked you to stay in here. I don't know what I want to say."

Kain placed his right hand on his hip. "Start with what's on your mind now. You'll find you can go from there."

Zelda stared into the corner. "I really am proud of you. You've been with me for so long, even though, at times, I could be more than a handful. I feel like I haven't shown my thanks enough before now." When neither of them responded, she continued. "I guess that's mostly what I'm trying to say. I'm proud of you, and I'm glad you both have been with me for so long. Now I wonder if I've been worthy enough to have you be proud of me."

Kain exhaled and looked up. "For me, guarding you started as simply another job. A big one at that, but I didn't view your...misadventures as too much of a burden. Although the king probably _would_ have flayed me alive if you'd truly gotten lost in Castle Town that one time." He lowered he gaze to meet Zelda's, then quickly looked back up. "But I've grown...closer to you in the years since. You've matured, and I've matured...Byron hasn't matured much..."

Byron looked for something to throw at him but came up short. He settled for giving Kain a mock-angry expression.

"In short, I'm proud of you, too," Kain concluded. "You were always a good princess and a wise leader, even if you were a bit headstrong in your youth. Then again, I hear most of the old Princess Zeldas were."

"As usual," Byron interjected, "I agree with Kain, but he spoke first. You used to be pretty impulsive and reckless, and it _was_ annoying. Guarding the princess of Hyrule was still a dream job for me. I'd never imagined I'd be where I am now. Even then, you weren't totally annoying. I knew you'd grow up to be something great, and, well, you have. Congratulations. I'm proud of you, too."

Zelda met his gaze. "Thank you. That's nice to know." She looked back and forth at the two of them. "When the battle starts tomorrow, I don't want either of you taking unnecessary risks. Stay by me, but don't needlessly endanger yourself."

Kain nodded. Byron raised his hand and asked, "Does it count if I push Kain into the way of an oncoming projectile to protect myself?"

Zelda laughed. "Yes, Byron, that counts as needlessly endangering my other bodyguard. I'm afraid I would have to reduce your pay if something like that happened."

Kain crossed his arms. "No need to worry. I'll stay well away from him to protect myself from that sword-flailing of his."

"Oh, need I remind you of your archery grade during year one of our military training, Mr. Marksman?" Byron taunted, turning to his brown-haired friend.

As Kain and Byron went teasingly back and forth, Zelda couldn't help but wonder what she was supposed to feel like. In the end, she decided there was no better way to end a day such as this.


	19. Chapter 18: The War Begins

Zelda didn't get much sleep that night. She didn't think anybody else would get much sleep, either. The hours before she went to bed were spent reviewing and re-reviewing battle plans, checking on equipment and supplies, and listening to reports. They couldn't sleep in too late, or they'd miss their own battle, even though they were essentially setting the time and place themselves. And worst of all, it was hard to fight to the fullest with a half-dead brain. Especially because a soldier's wits needed to be in peak condition against this enemy.

In the morning, Zelda had spent a few minutes staring at the ceiling and thinking. She wasn't afraid of death, but she wasn't exactly keen on it, either. And yet today, she could easily die. Many of her friends and subordinates would die, too. She wished somebody else would go and fight this battle, but there was no one else. The Constellation were growing in number and ferocity, and she knew they wouldn't last long enough for other countries to come to their aid.

It was an hour or so before lunchtime. Zelda stood in the armory as a servant fitted armor onto various parts of her body. She'd only worn the armor once just to try it out and see if it fit properly, but never for battle, even during the twilight episode. She'd traded her usual attire for something more appropriate for war, although still regal and dignified. The new outfit consisted of a long brown tunic, loose white pants, and brown leather boots.

She looked around the armory as the servant attached golden armor to her calves. Soldiers were resting, putting on armor, and scrambling around the room, never speaking a word to each other beyond what was necessary. Kain and Byron, seated nearby, were sharpening their weapons and wiping off the armor they nearly always wore. The stone walls used to be lined with weapons and armor, but they were noticeably more bare as a result of the current crisis. Metal shelves sectioned off certain parts of the large room, although they, too, were much emptier. As all the windows had been boarded up, the only light in the room came from the numerous torches Zelda had lit personally.

The steel door in front of Zelda opened, and Palos strode in. He gave her a small bow before proceeding with his report. "All of the mages are in position in the throneroom if the castle, milady, and are being supplied with a small amount of resources. We have more en route."

Zelda nodded. "Thank you. I will be joining them shortly." As the sage turned to leave, Zelda raised her hand. "And, Lord Palos? Is there any progress at all in the Constellation weapon project?"

Palos sighed. "None, milady, I'm sorry. At this rate, it's doubtful we will have a weapon effective enough against the Constellation in time for the battle."

"Such being the case, I would like you to pull your magicians off of the weapon project for now and prepare for a journey. At my word, I would like those magicians to form a search party and head to the Gerudo Desert. With their heightened abilities, they should be able to find a weapon of the Moon Sword's caliber quicker than a troop of soldiers."

Palos bowed again. "I will see to it. My magicians will await your command."

"And when they return, I would like for them to bring me news on the one who bore the Moon Sword as well," Zelda added.

Palos, sensing an edgy topic, nodded once and left the room. Zelda raised her arms and allowed the servant to attach armor to her torso. Perhaps searching for the Moon Sword, especially with a party of four, was a bit late (not to mention risky), but it was their only hope at surviving the war ahead.

The servant finished the last of her armor. All of her armor was gold-colored and fit the shape of her body exactly. The plating was reinforced with magic to defend against dents, scratches, grime, and giant monsters hurling themselves at the wearer. The magic also made the armor a bit lighter, allowing her to move around more freely. The breastplate had the Hylian crest - a red falcon below a yellow triforce - emblazoned on it. Her usual gloves were replaced with black gauntlets whose purpose was partially to cover up her Triforce, as her normal gloves did. As far as she knew, the servant either hadn't seen her Triforce, had thought it nothing more than a brand, or knew what it was and was smart enough to keep quiet about it. She decided not to go with a helmet for now.

Kain glanced up at her. Zelda felt herself blush a little and looked down. Not many people had seen her in her armor.

Byron raised his head, looked her over, and smiled. "You look sharp."

"Thank you." She readjusted her gauntlets. "Are you two ready?"

"Just about," Byron grunted, sheathing his sword and standing up. "I've been polishing my sword about ten times longer than it needed. You ready, Kain?"

Kain stood up and worked his left arm in a circle. "Yes. Just waiting on you, princess."

Zelda paused. She felt like she should say something before everybody scattered. Byron, for once, was leaving her to assist the ground troops inside Castle Town's barrier. Only Kain would be left with her. Not wanting to make a scene, she settled for orders. "You have your position memorized, right, Byron?"

He grimaced. "Yeah. I do. Stay on the town walls, shoot at the Constellation down below, give a few orders here and there. Be safe, princess." He turned his attention to Kain. "And you. Don't screw up, or it's all over."

Kain patted Byron on the shoulder. "Same to you."

After attaching her sword to her hip, Zelda opened the door and walked out of the room. Kain and Byron followed a few seconds later. Aside from the occasional soldier or servant running by, the castle was unnaturally quiet. Most of the soldiers were in the town, preparing for the battle. With a few exceptions, only officials, the mages, and those protecting the castle stayed inside said building.

As Palos had said, all the mages who would project the barrier around Castle Town were situated in the throneroom, for a few reasons. One, it was one of the highest, most protected areas in the castle - even though the explosion several months ago had reduced the overall height. Being one of the most elevated rooms, it would also provide a good lookout onto the battle surrounding them. Thirdly, it felt natural to protect the throne.

After a brisk walk, Zelda and her bodyguards arrived at the doors to the throneroom. Two soldiers bowed slightly and opened the doors, allowing them passage. The new throneroom was smaller and simpler than the first one, with new sculptures and decor promised. (It was still a shame to lose the ages-old goddess statues above the throne.) Smooth cream-colored walls stretched for about a hundred feet long and fifty feet wide. As with the rest of the castle, all the windows had been boarded up, and golden candles illuminated the room. A red carpet stretched from the big doors Zelda had walked through to a gilded throne near the back of the room. White and blue tiles composed the floor. Somewhere behind the throne, a door led to a watchtower. Zelda would be using that tower to see how the battle fared. Around sixty people, young and old, male and female, richly-dressed and simply-dressed, filled the room.

"Well," Byron began, "we've seen you to the throneroom. Guess it's time to take my leave of you."

Zelda tried to smile. "Be safe."

He laughed. "'Be safe'? Right now, that's like asking me to fly by jumping out a window and flapping my arms real hard. But I appreciate the sentiment." With a half-grin, he promptly turned and walked out of the room. The soldiers closed the doors behind him.

Zelda turned and looked at all of the mages. "To the best of your knowledge, are all the mages I ordered here and accounted for?"

A high-ranking soldier to Zelda's left nodded. "Yes, milady. All fifty-nine mages under Lord Palos's command are present. Lord Palos himself should be along shortly."

Zelda thanked him and walked to the back of the room, near the throne. Despite her growing restlessness, she sat down and tried to calm her nerves. After a moment's hesitation, Kain sat down with her.

"All we're doing now is waiting, correct?" Kain asked.

"Yes. Once all units are in place, we will officially declare the war."

"And the Constellation will come?"

"I am sure of it. By creating a giant barrier, they will naturally become curious. Upon finding large groups of Hylian soldiers, they will also become...hungry." Zelda shuddered at the word. "No matter how clever they are, they are driven by their instincts more than we are. They should come shortly after we create the barrier. This is one of those things I just know." She tapped the back of her right gauntlet. Kain gave her an understanding look and faced forward.

Very few people were in on the secrets of the Triforce. Most knew it existed and that it was essentially the Golden Goddesses' power combined into one artifact. The average person did not know that it could split in three and seek out those worthy of bearing the individual pieces. Even Kain, though he knew more about the Triforce than the average person, was still largely ignorant about it.

The Triforce of Wisdom, apart from granting increased energy and endurance like all Triforce parts, made its bearer the ultimate strategist and enhanced prophetic visions. It also gave the bearer "hunches," similar to how Zelda had a "hunch" that the simple act of generating a massive barrier around Castle Town would stir the Constellation into action. So far, the hunches had always proven to be true. To the people of Hyrule, of course, she was just a very wise monarch.

Byron, being Kain's professional counterpart, was also privy to a bit more knowledge of the Triforce. Both Kain and Byron had been forbidden from telling anyone about Zelda's Triforce without her permission. More than one war had been started over covetousness of the Triforce. As most people thought the Triforce was still intact and resting in the Sacred Realm, Zelda was relatively safe if nobody saw the three golden triangles on the back of her right hand. As it was, she wore gloves almost all the time to cover it up. Aside from being a fashion statement, it was a clever way to avoid being killed.

"I hope Byron is okay," Zelda sighed.

Kain shrugged. "He's Byron. If anybody's going to survive this, it'll be him. He's exceedingly hard to kill." He traced a finger down his neck to indicate Byron's scar.

Byron had earned that scar four years ago when the immediate Royal Family and their bodyguards were headed to Zora's Domain to pay homage to the Zoras. On their way, a group of tektites ambushed them, injuring some of the bodyguards and her father. One of the injured bodyguards was Byron, who had been slashed in the neck by the claw of a tektite. Before the tektite could finish the job, Zelda, desperate, used her light magic offensively for the first time and blew the big critter away. Byron's neck wound had to be healed by other mages, but he always attributed his salvation to Zelda.

"You two have been together for a long time, haven't you?" Zelda murmured.

"About six or seven years. I suppose that's a long time for some people."

"It's about a third of my life, currently." Zelda stared into his eyes. Kain reluctantly held her gaze. "I'm sorry to bring this up now, but...how did..." She didn't know how to put the request.

Thankfully, Kain understood what she meant. "You want to know what I was before I became your bodyguard. Right?"

Zelda nodded. "I just want to...understand, I suppose. Understand what it was like for you. I may not get the chance later."

Kain was the sole male survivor of the Whitefeather family. The story behind how the rest of the family had disappeared wasn't a pretty one. Zelda had heard the basics from various sources, but never from Kain himself.

Kain looked away. Silence passed for what felt like forever. Zelda wondered if he was ignoring her. As she was about to apologize, he turned back to her. "I'll make you a deal. If we both survive this upcoming battle, no matter who wins, I'll tell you everything. So you can't die because you need to hear my story, and I can't die because I need to tell it. This vow will be our good luck charm."

It was the best she could get. She smiled and nodded. Now all they had to do was live through impossible odds to fulfill the promise.

As if reading her thoughts, Kain continued, "I said before that I'm not optimistic about our future, but I haven't given up hope yet. Link is still out there somewhere."

Zelda forced down the rising lump in her throat. "So you think he's still alive?"

"You're talking about someone hard to kill?" Kain grinned lightly. "I don't know Link very well, but from what I've heard, he's the hardest person to kill I've ever met. Even if he _is_...very courageous. That's a man that should have died a long time ago, and I get the feeling death won't catch up to him here. I don't know why he's not back yet, but I don't think he's dead." He exhaled and stared at the ceiling. "Some people just have natures that go against the laws of the world. It's against Link's nature to die before his time. That's the impression I get."

That description fit Link. If anyone could defy logic, it would be him. Logic said he was overdue to return from a desolate wasteland. The logical conclusion would be that...well, he was never coming back. Though Zelda would still keep a search party on hand, hope began to kindle in her that Link would come back.

Zelda spent the next thirty minutes or so checking on all the mages and waiting for reports. One by one, each unit fell into place. A short time later, a messenger told her the groups of 5,000 soldiers had assumed their positions outside Castle Town. That was the final move. The only thing left to do was to create the barrier.

"All troops and regiments have fallen into place," Zelda clarified for the mages. "Our job has come. I hereby give the order to pool our magic together and form a barrier covering Castle Town. Focus all of your senses and do not lose sight, even for a second. If the barrier falls, the Constellation have an open chance to charge into the city all at once."

The mages all closed their eyes and became still. Zelda could sense them summoning up their magic. Bringing up her own magic, Zelda turned, walked around the throne, and entered through the doorway leading to the watchtower. Kain, always her shadow, followed her.

The doorway led to a spiral stone staircase that took her up the castle. Little light pervaded the staircase, leading Zelda to tread lightly. As she neared the top, light began to pour in. Unlike most of the castle, the entrance to the top of the watchtower had not been boarded up, but simply had a magic barrier placed in it that only Zelda could remove. After a few seconds, they reached a small square landing at the top of the stairs. A yellowish barrier covered the open space a door had been in before an adult Constellatia bashed it apart during the castle invasion. Zelda touched the barrier with her fingertip, causing it to dissolve, and stepped through the doorway into open sunlight. With a motion with her hand, the barrier resumed its spot to deter intruders.

The top of the watchtower consisted of two levels about thirty feet in diameter. The first level had six small stone columns supporting the upper level and a tall ladder that connected the two levels. Zelda and Kain climbed up the ladder and stepped to the sides of the tower. Stone teeth along the edges reduced the chance of someone leaning over and falling off. While the bottom level merged with the castle, the upper level stretched about thirty feet over the top of the building.

Below them, Castle Town was quieter than usual. Large groups of Hylian soldiers and Gorons gathered here and there. The only sound Zelda heard was the wind blowing across the tower.

"It's finally come to this," she muttered.

"It had to at some point," said Kain. "You know what to do, princess."

Zelda focused the rest of her magic and sent it into the pool the other mages were making. The Triforce on her right hand began to glow, shining through her gauntlet. That was part of the reason she had gone to the isolation of the watchtower.

A humming sound filled Castle Town. The wind gradually stopped blowing. Zelda helped the other mages in shaping the immense pool of magic they'd created. Directly above them, the sky began to turn dull yellow. The humming sound grew as the yellow spread out and down, forming what looked like a golden net. Twenty seconds later, the yellow touched the ground, bathing Castle Town in low yellow light. The barrier creation was successful.

A moment of silence passed. As an accomplished magic-user, Zelda could easily multitask while sustaining her portion of the barrier (which was admittedly a large one). She could probably hold the barrier up for a day or two without feeling the strain. Her concern was the other mages.

A roar filled the air, coming from the city below. Some moments later, another roar joined it. Tension enveloped Castle Town. Zelda knew everyone, inside or outside the barrier, could feel the dark magic of the Constellation brewing.

"And so it begins," Kain whispered.


	20. Chapter 19: Black and Silver

Zelda scanned the town as more roars joined the monstrous symphony. Despite all the noise, she couldn't see any Constellation. With all the racket, surely one would rear its ugly head at some point. Kain leaned over the side of the tower to make sure no Constellation were crawling up the castle walls.

Something stirred in the part of town to Zelda's right. With a hand gesture, she silently called Kain to her side. A large, shiny black creature barreled out of an alley, headed straight for a group of soldiers. Butterflies rose in her chest as the soldiers turned and raised their weapons. As the troops prepared for the onslaught, more Constellation began appearing all over the town. Disturbingly, Zelda got the impression they had been occupying nearly every available space in the city. The Constellation came faster and faster with each second. For a moment, Zelda wondered what the heck she'd gotten herself - and the rest of Hyrule's fighting force - into.

Beside her, Kain swore quietly. Kain never swore. Which put the gravity of the situation into perspective.

Based on a rough guess, Zelda estimated the soldiers inside the barrier were outnumbered by the Constellation three to two, and more of the beasts were pouring in. Outside the barrier, the Constellation exploded through the ground, driven into a frenzy, and charged at the units defending the weak points. From a distance, it looked as if the earth was bleeding.

"They're bent on Hyrule's destruction," Zelda whispered. "They know that by taking out Hyrule's strength here, we'll be defenseless. Nearly their entire population must be gathered around here."

Kain leaned over the tower wall and narrowed his eyes. "Brace yourself. We have visitors." He quickly jerked back as a dart sailed through the spot he'd been occupying.

Zelda hurried to Kain's position and summoned her light magic into visible form around her right arm. She leaned over the wall, spotted the young Constellatia climbing up the tower, and fired a beam of light into it before it could react. Shrieking, it fell off the wall and toward the city below. Looking around, Zelda saw at least seven more young Constellation working their ways up. She blasted a few more Constellation, then ducked back before the darts could hit her.

"The tower isn't safe now," Kain growled. "Princess, we have to get back inside. We're too vulnerable out here."

Outside the barrier, the plan was working - for the moment. Large groups of Constellation merged with the platoons of soldiers, creating a mess of black and silver. The only thing keeping the beasts from overwhelming them was the onslaught of projectiles from above.

Zelda turned and headed for the ladder to take her to the bottom level of the tower. As Kain covered her retreat, she swung herself onto the wooden ladder and quickly climbed down it. A young Constellatia leaped over the side of the tower and crawled toward her. Before it could settle its aim, she shot another blast of light magic at it. As the top of the creature burst, Zelda couldn't help but think of how glad she was she'd honed her offensive magic since the twilight episode.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed something big coming over the side of the tower - an adult Constellatia. Zelda was a little under halfway down the ladder. She couldn't climb back up quickly enough to avoid the danger, and jumping wasn't an option unless she wanted to provide the Constellatia with a free meal, complete with broken bones.

"Kain!" she called, eyes still on the monster.

Kain appeared over the top of the ladder. His eyes widened when he saw the Constellatia. Echoing their thoughts, the Constellatia turned its gaze to the ladder Zelda was clinging to. Growling, it charged at the ladder, mandibles bared. Zelda shot more light magic at it, knowing her death might come sooner than she'd thought. And if she died, the barrier was likely to collapse within minutes. And if the barrier collapsed...everyone died, plain and simple. A beam of light hit the Constellatia, blowing off a few spikes and spraying purple blood onto the columns. Unlike the young ones, though, the adult Constellatia kept going. With a split second left, Zelda leaped from the ladder towards the column on her left. Behind her, the bottom half of the ladder splintered and fell to the lower level.

After falling for a second, she managed to grab onto the column and wrap her limbs around it. The Constellatia whirled around, eyes gleaming with mirth, and continued at the column she was on. Charging up more of her magic than before, Zelda let a blast loose when she was sure she had a good aim. The beam hit the Constellatia in the side, blew a hole in it, and knocked it backwards over the edge of the tower.

"Are you alright, Zelda?" Kain yelled. With the ladder gone, he wasn't coming down easily.

"Yes," Zelda shouted back. "Can you get down?"

He shrugged. "I suppose we'll see. Can you keep me covered while I climb down?"

She looked around. More Constellation would soon climb over the walls. "Wait a bit. I'll come down first."

Although Zelda had practiced swordfighting, archery, and other fairly athletic skills before, she was no acrobat. The ground was about twenty feet below her, and the only way she was getting down safely was by inching down the column. Taking a breath, she slowly started the task.

"Behind you, princess!" called Kain.

Zelda turned and promptly shot a beam at a young Constellatia. When it splattered, she continued down.

An agonizing minute later, Zelda finally reached the ground. She motioned for Kain to begin his descent. With a nod, he maneuvered his way over the teeth of the upper level and grabbed onto the edge. The butterflies in Zelda's chest fluttered more aggressively.

A Constellatia infant jumped over the side of the castle and landed next to her. With a yelp, she blasted it before it could sting her. Above her, Kain was having his own problems when a dart embedded itself next to his face. If he fell from that height and angle, he probably wouldn't stop for another two hundred feet or so. Hoping she wouldn't get shot in the face, Zelda peered over the edge of the wall, spotted the intruder, and hit it with a beam.

As Kain reached the top portion of the far-right column, Zelda thought about her magic. She'd already used a good portion of it shooting at Constellation. She still had enough to sustain the barrier for a day or two without recharging, but if the pattern kept it, she'd be dry shortly into the war.

Kain climbed past the middle part of the column. Zelda kept up her routine of checking over the castle walls and occasionally blasting an ugly bug. Once, a dart had sailed straight through her hair and torn off some strands. She wondered if there was a polite way to tell someone to hurry the heck up before another dart found her face.

A minute later, Kain landed next to her, having jumped the last twelve feet. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Sorry for taking up so much time. Now let's get out of here."

An adult Constellatia roared on cue. As black, talon-like limbs appeared over the walls, Zelda turned and ran to the barrier leading back into the castle. The barrier faded on touch, allowing her to dash in. When she was sure Kain had made it in, she stopped, turned, and placed her hands in the opening to the outside. Just as the big Constellatia leaped at her, the yellow barrier returned and knocked it backward. To make sure it couldn't bash its way in through the other walls, she extended the barrier to encompass the throneroom.

"I suppose the watchtower is off limits now?" Kain panted, leaning against the side of the room.

"The Constellation appeared with more numbers and speed than I thought. I didn't think we would have been so marooned on the tower. We were lucky to make it back in as it is."

Kain glanced out the barrier. The Constellatia had gone away. "Well, we've lost our main vantage point. Seeing the flow of battle will be harder. Can your telepathy manage that?"

Zelda quickly descended the stairway. "In smaller measurements, yes. I won't be able to see or tell everything, but can sense major changes."

Kain upped his pace so he was in front of Zelda. "Can you contact Byron from here?"

Zelda focused her telepathy and searched through Castle Town. She knew Byron's consciousness by heart. She sifted through the thousands of minds inside the giant barrier. A few seconds later, she recognized Byron on top of one of Castle Town's walls.

_Byron?_ she thought. _This is Zelda. Can you hear me?_

_Loud and clear,_ Byron's thoughts grunted. _Are you alright?_

_Kain and I had a brief run-in with Constellation on the watchtower, but we both made it back in okay. How is your end holding up?_

There was a small pause between messages. Zelda stepped back into the doorway to the throneroom and hid her right hand behind her back. The Triforce was still glowing through her gauntlet. _It's holding. There are more of these freaks than I'd thought there would be._

_Yes, I thought the same thing._

_My unit's repelling the Constellation well enough, but our numbers are dwindling. Even worse, the Constellation just don't stop coming. Every time I think we're getting somewhere, more of them show up. You may have to modify your plan a little bit, because we won't last too much longer at this rate._

A servant offered Zelda a jar of green potion to refill her magic. She accepted it and downed it as quickly as her royal etiquette would allow. _Are your supplies doing alright?_

_Yeah, we've got enough, and messengers keep bringing more as we need them. But I'm seeing too many soldiers die here, and I'm worried our weak point will be breached soon._

Zelda closed her eyes. She could sense Kain looking at her with a concerned expression. _I didn't foresee this. I didn't think the Constellation would appear all at once. I'm developing another "hunch" that says their entire population was centered in and around Castle Town._

_Holy crap,_ Byron's conscience muttered.

_I agree. They must want to use their sheer force and numbers to overwhelm the monarchy of every nation, thus depriving the world of its power. And with no one to stand up to them, they'll become the dominant species of the world. As upsetting as it is, it's very possible._

There was another slight pause. _Stay with me, princess. I'll tell you whenever something big comes up, and you can tell me what you find. Especially if you get any more hunches._

_Thank you. I will._

"So what did he say?" asked Kain.

Zelda sat down in an elegant pose. "More of the same. He's surprised at the number of Constellation appearing, and he thinks the weak points will be breached quickly if I don't change my plan."

Kain sat down with her. "So what do we do?"

"Wait and watch for now, but our outside forces clearly won't repel the Constellation for long. We must change our strategy before the barrier is destroyed. Something that will keep us safe while still allowing us to kill Constellation and lure them to us efficiently."

Kain accepted a drink of water from a servant and took a gulp. "You're the mastermind there, so I won't interfere with your thoughts. Just keep the circumstances in mind."

The throneroom was largely silent, forcing everyone in it to listen to the shouts, clangs, and roars outside. A feeling of solemnity and doom pervaded the castle and manifested itself on the faces of everyone present. No one seemed to think they would survive the war. Aside from the hope Kain had given her, Zelda thought much the same thing.

The more she thought about the scenario, the more she realized how lucky they were to "start" the war when they did. The Constellation were naturally violent and restless, leading them to attack nearby life more for leisure than for food. Constellatia activity had been rising in recent days, but not, Zelda realized, because they were simply getting more agitated. It was because every one of them had set up residence around Hyrule's capital in hopes of overturning it within the next few days.

But when the good fortune of tactics prevailed wherever Zelda was involved, it was usually not luck. It was the Triforce of Wisdom warning her of something bad about to happen. She'd often wanted to be rid of the Triforce of Wisdom because of its "unintended side-effects," but it was times like these she was glad to bear it.

The Constellation were overwhelming their defenses and slaughtering their outside troops. Her plan would crumble if left alone for too much longer. So how did they extend their lives and eliminate more Constellation at the same time?

The discussions of ambushing the Constellation came back to her. Luring them to one spot, then finishing them all off... With the enemy's numbers, killing every one of them wasn't an option, but perhaps she could deal a brief, heavy blow to them in one smooth move.

She extended her telepathy to Byron again. _Byron? It's Zelda again._

_Yeah?_

_I need to know how many Constellation are inside Castle Town. Give me your best estimate._

_From here?_ There was a period of silence as Byron thought. _Sheesh. I don't know. It's hard to see from my position. We're still outnumbered, though not as greatly as before. They're mostly gathered in the center of town. Except for this one charging at me now. Hold on a second._

Zelda's heart skipped a beat as silence passed between them. Kain stared at her. Apparently, she'd let her shock show.

_Byron?_ she prodded. _Byron, are you alright?_

Still no response. Images flashed through her mind of Byron bleeding below a triumphant Constellatia. That couldn't have happened.

_Byron?_ she yelled mentally.

_Whew. Sorry about that. I'm alright._ Relief flooded through her. _Another soldier and I brought it down. This happens sometimes. Sorry._

_Don't apologize. It's not your fault. But I'm trying to alter our plan, and I'm thinking of ambushing the Constellation somehow. I need to know how many are inside the barrier for that._

_Yeah, I'm not a good judge of that. I would say we're slightly outnumbered at this point, but not by a whole lot. You can contact me when you've developed something more._

"What happened?" Kain muttered.

"I'm sorry. Byron was attacked by a Constellatia, but he fought it off. He says the troops inside the barrier are only slightly outnumbered by the Constellation at this point."

Kain sighed. "Good. I thought something had happened to him."

If they did something about the Constellation inside the barrier, they'd have more manpower for their enemies outside. It would also make it easier to set up a trap for the Constellation outside. Byron said most of the Constellation were in the center of Castle Town. Perhaps there was a way she could eliminate all or most of them in one blow. Castle Town would be damaged, but there was no easy way around it.

Several minutes later, a plan had fully developed in her head. Thank goddess (literally) for the Triforce of Wisdom.

"I think I've got it," Zelda murmured.

"A plan?"

"Yes. Most of the Constellation inside the barrier are around the center of town. If their primary prey - the soldiers also in the center of town - move to another spot, they will have to move as a whole. If we can lure them to a spot rigged with explosives of some sort, we can end them all. I'll fill Byron in on the details."

Kain nodded and looked away. Zelda closed her eyes and again contacted Byron.

_Got something?_ Byron's voice asked.

_I believe so. Send word to the soldiers in the center of Castle Town to move to the middle-eastern part of the city. The Constellation inside should follow them there. Have archers repel the Constellation to give the soldiers a head-start. I'll command some magicians to create a bomb out of light magic that they'll set up in the part of town the soldiers move to. When all the soldiers are separated from the Constellation, we'll create an additional barrier to trap those Constellation where they are and, again, give the soldiers a moment to assume positions on the other side of the bomb area. When we release the smaller barrier, the Constellation will head into the bomb area, where we'll trap them again._

_And from there,_ Byron concluded, _we blow them into tiny little pieces. Sounds like a good plan. I'll spread the word._

Zelda severed the telepathic connection with him and instantly gestured for Palos to come. She stood up as he crossed the room. "Lord Palos, the mages you've set aside have an additional job."

He blinked in surprise. "Additional? Milady?"

"Yes. Have them pool their magic together to create a bomb capable of wiping out half a square mile or so. Once that is done, have the mages escorted to the eastern part of town, but avoid crossing the center. They are to lay the bomb there and stand by until they are given the order to set it off. The goal is to trap the Constellation there and destroy as many of them at once as we can. We don't have a lot of time."

He bowed quickly. "Yes, I'll see to it at once."

As Palos left the room, Zelda issued orders to the other mages so they could shift their focus when the appropriate time came. The plan relied mostly on speed and timing.

She reestablished the connection with Byron. _It's Zelda again. I'll stay with you until the bomb is set off and the Constellation are sufficiently eradicated. How is the progress so far?_

_I sent a messenger and a bunch of archers off with several escorts to inform the one in command near the center of town. The messenger should be coming back soon, assuming he's not dead._

_Good. I've told Lord Palos to have some of his mages create the bomb. I suspect they'll be ready several minutes from now._

_Wait, here comes the messenger. Looks like he wasn't eaten after all. They say the soldiers are retreating to the center spot of eastern Castle Town now, and the archers are firing. So far, it sounds like it's working._

_Thank you. Keep me updated._

Zelda exhaled and closed her eyes. She wished she could delegate her strategizing completely to someone else, but who else was there? She sensed the Constellation in the middle of Castle Town moving out. The consciences of several of the archers fizzled out. The enemy was quickly closing in on them.

In a split second, Zelda saw her chance. All of the Hylian soldiers and the Constellation were separated. The opportunity to trap them might never come again.

"All mages, trap the Constellation now!" she yelled.

As one, all the mages redirected their magic into a new shape. Annoyingly, Zelda felt a strain on her energy as more magic poured out of her. She'd used more of it than she'd thought. In the center of Castle Town, the Constellation slowly came to a halt. A few of the monsters hurled themselves at the new wall surrounding them. They had successfully trapped them.

Part one of the plan was out of the way. _Byron, how are the soldiers doing?_

_Most of them have arrived at the spot, and I've been told Pally's mages are on the way. I sure hope this works, princess. The Constellation on the inside are really getting on my nerves._

_This should put a sizeable dent in their forces. Even so, the true battle has yet to begin. Don't let your guard down._

_I know. Hey, here come the mages. Looks like they've got the glowing bomb with them. All the soldiers are in place, too._

Zelda licked her lips. Parts two and three were almost done. Part four was to blow the Constellation to smithereens. She could sense the light bomb being carried by Palos's mages in the city below. It was packed with energy. Palos's four most talented men were definitely the right ones for the job. One screw-up, and the bomb would go off early and destroy anything but their targets.

A suspenseful minute later, Byron's conscience returned. _The bomb is set up, and all the soldiers are moving well away from it. Looks like it's now or never. And please, _please_ make sure you actually trap the entire bomb in. The thing makes my hairs bristle even from all the way over here._

_I will make sure of that. Don't worry._

_Kinda hard not to._

Zelda looked at the other mages. "You can all sense the light bomb, right? Release the small barrier around the Constellation. When they all make it into the circular area around the bomb, trap them in again. Follow my lead!"

She canceled her part of the energy surrounding the Constellation. The other mages followed suit shortly after. She could sense the Constellation angrily pounding towards the soldiers, who were making a good show of trying to pretend there wasn't a bomb threatening to blow them up. The monsters raced through the streets, moving faster than Zelda had thought possible.

The Constellation crossed into the area with the bomb laid in it. Arrows and spears flew from the waiting Hylian soldiers, slow the progress of the Constellation and condensing them into a circle. The wall of monsters pressed in on the soldiers, moving straight over the bomb and into the other half of the sectioned area. More Constellation were arriving in the bomb circle as well. If their timing was wrong, they'd miss a good portion of their enemies.

The Constellation were moments away from the barricade, but still more of them were coming in. Her troops would be slaughtered and her plan would fall apart if some of them exited the bomb area.

"Everyone, form a wall between the soldiers and Constellation!" Zelda commanded.

Just as the black creatures approached the outer edge of the bomb area, a new barrier appeared, separating the two factions. To Zelda's right, one of the younger mages passed out from magic exhaustion. Their barrier supply was lasting shorter than she'd thought.

_Thanks for the shield, princess,_ Byron's voice muttered. _I thought that was the end for a moment._

_It is the end - for them._

The last of the Constellation entered into the bomb area. Zelda snapped her head up. "Alright, completely seal in the Constellation! Extend the barrier until it traps them!"

Zelda felt more of her magic drain from her. It wasn't a problem yet, but she wouldn't last comfortably like this too much longer. On the other hand, the toll was too much for some of the other mages. Three of them passed out, downgrading their mage number by four.

Another dome formed around the bomb area, trapping all the Constellation inside. Some of them began to claw their way into the ground, attempting to escape, but the giant barrier surrounding the city kept them in place. As the bomb began to glow and expand, the Constellation became more restless, ramming against the walls of the barrier and scurrying around. A few more seconds...Zelda hoped the barrier was truly foolproof...

A resounding aura of light filled her senses as the bomb went off. At the same time, the presence of the Constellation inside the barrier vanished like a puff of smoke. Zelda doubted there was anything left of them.

_How did it go, Byron?_ she asked.

_Wow. There is nothing left in there. Like, nothing. You destroyed everything._

_What about the other Constellation in the city?_

_They're a joke compared to our numbers now. With this, we can concentrate more on the enemy outdoors. Thanks a million._

Despite the circumstances, Zelda couldn't help but smile a little. She hoped the light bomb incident would humiliate the Constellation for the rest of their existence.

"I'm assuming it worked," Kain whispered, "because I just heard something explode out there. And because you're unusually happy about something right now."

Still smiling, she turned to him. "Yes, it worked. There is always hope, Kain."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "We'll win, one way or another. It may not be today, but in all past Hylian conflicts, Hyrule's come out on top. This is on a much bigger scale, but it's no different. As long as I know that, I'm not overly concerned what happens to me."

Zelda nodded. "Wise advice."

The mood of the Constellation began to change. The happiness slowly faded from Zelda's face. She didn't think the Constellation had much in the way of feelings, but something was definitely changing about their consciences. They were becoming more...delirious? Almost like they were drunk with pleasure. Considering most of their members inside the city had been annihilated, that was strange.

"Now what is it?" Kain growled, leaning forward.

"The attitude of the Constellation has changed," Zelda said slowly. "They're happy for some reason. Did we do something wrong by killing the Constellation in Castle Town?"

"I wouldn't think so. They haven't been very happy with us killing all their other friends so far. Maybe they're just angry."

She shook her head. "That's not it. It feels like they're almost drunk with happiness. It's a strong, distinct feeling. It's not just - "

Byron's voice in her thoughts interrupted her. _The Constellation are acting a little weird out here. Most of them are just standing around, roaring, and running in circles. Did you do something to them?_

"I'll finish my thought in a moment," Zelda told Kain, holding a finger up to him. _No, Byron, we haven't done anything. I've just been telling Kain that the Constellation are extremely happy about something. Can you tell anything from there?_

_Heh. I just did. That's all I know about it. Our soldiers are trying to take advantage of the confusion, but the Constellation just shake off their injuries and keep galloping around. It's like they don't even care about us anymore. Are you _sure_ you didn't put some magic spell on them or something?_

_Yes, Byron,_ Zelda affirmed with a hint of irritation. On the other end, Byron recoiled slightly from the negative emotion.

_Well, what do you want us to do about it? We're pressing our attack now, but I'm not sure what to make of all this._

Zelda frowned. _Withhold your fire for now if your arrows aren't doing anything, but press the attack with the ground troops. I'll try and find out why they're acting like this in the meantime._

"So," Kain started, "you're convinced the emotion they're feeling is happiness and not anger or some other negative reaction? We _did_ just blow up a platoon's worth of their numbers." Under Zelda's glare, Kain shrunk back slightly. "I'm sorry. But can you tell why they're behaving like this? Is there anything else from your source of wisdom?"

"I'm thinking," Zelda murmured, cupping her chin with her hand.

The Constellation based their existence on violence and bloodshed. The only reason they would stop during the biggest supplier of both would either be because an outside force intervened, or because they were celebrating something. Hope blooming in her, Zelda expanded her telepathy and searched the land of Hyrule for the consciousness of Link. She knew his unique essence by heart and could locate it easily. Just so long as he was within Hyrule's boundaries, she could detect him.

She continued scanning the country with her telepathy. If Link was causing the confusion among the Constellation, he would have to be nearby. But she couldn't sense him. With a sinking feeling, she realized Link was not the source.

As she reached that conclusion, she felt a different presence a fair distance away from Castle Town. It was larger than anything else she'd ever sensed. A dark vibe filled her consciousness, bringing an inherent sense of fear and dread. She'd heard of beings who "emanated fear," but had always thought it was just a saying tossed around to show respect for powerful people. Now she'd really met something that radiated tangible fear.

Kain squirmed in his spot. "I feel claustrophobic all of a sudden, like I can't settle down. Princess?"

She concentrated on the dark presence and instantly knew what it was. "Now I know why the Constellation are so overjoyed. They think they've become unbeatable since their greatest weapon is emerging."

Kain furrowed his brow. "Greatest weapon?"

"Yes. The Constellation King is breaching the surface of the world as we speak."


	21. Chapter 20: Monarch to Monarch

"The Constellation King?" said Kain. "The leader of the Constellation we were talking about? _Already?_"

"It appears so. I didn't think he would be coming so soon." She stared into Kain's eyes. "All of our soldiers out there are in grave danger. We need to get them inside. Now."

She formed a full connection with Byron's consciousness, somewhat stunning him with the force. _Byron, order all the outside troops to retreat inside the barrier as fast as they can. Spread the word._

_What -_

_The Constellation King has arrived. We can't do anything until we've at least seen what he's capable of, and I don't want half of our troops obliterated when that happens._

There was a small pause as Byron probably swore to himself. _Uh, yeah, I'll get right on that._

He relinquished his link with her. Zelda stood up and cleared her throat. All the mages (that hadn't passed out) turned to her, worry written on their faces. "As you've probably sensed, the Constellation King has just breached the surface of Hyrule. When I give the order, solidy the two weak spots in the barrier and pour everything you have into strengthening it. We can take no chances with this enemy."

The mages nodded and promptly resumed their work. Zelda tapped Kain on the arm, turned around, and strode away. Kain followed her, trying to fight off the feeling of dread the Constellation King was pressing on all of them. They entered through the doorway to the tower stairs, walked up the stairwell, and came to the barrier blocking off the way to the watchtower. Zelda erased the barrier with her hand and didn't bother letting Kain through first to protect her. Most of the Constellation were still acting like nuts, anyway.

Zelda could sense the King moving toward Castle Town. She ran to the edge of the watchtower and placed her hands on top of the wall acting as a guard. Kain slowly stopped behind her. At the outer parts of the city, soldiers were filing through the now-open holes in the barrier, fleeing from the Constellation who were too busy partying to notice or care. Around half of the soldiers had already made it in. In less than a minute, the King would arrive at the barrier.

"Do we have any plan to battle the Constellation King?" Kain asked.

Zelda tensed her arms. "None. We have very little information to go off of, and I'm afraid what we do learn may be lost here. Let's hope all the stories of the Constellation King were exaggerated, but I don't think they were." Three-quarters of the soldiers had reentered Castle Town. The King was about thirty seconds away. Zelda's heart beat faster. "Kain, go down to the throneroom and order the mages to seal the holes and strengthen the barrier. All the soldiers will be in by then."

Kain blinked in surprise. "And leave you?"

"Yes, Kain. Go!"

Sighing, Kain took off through the doorway behind her. She covered her eyes with her hand as Kain's footsteps faded away. She tried to remember Kain's encouragement, but it was hard to be optimistic when little hope was in sight.

On the horizon, the presence of the Constellation King came into view. With the distance and barrier blurring appearances, Zelda couldn't tell what he looked like. The soldiers, now seeing the monstrosity for themselves, shouted and quickened their pace. All the while, the Constellation's happiness kept growing.

The last soldier entered Castle Town. The two groups stopped when they were a safe distance from the edge of the barrier. A few seconds later, the holes they had retreated through closed up. The barrier was now complete and solid.

The form of the Constellation King came to a halt as he reached the north side of Castle Town. Behind her, Kain ran back through the doorway, panting. He stood beside her and followed her gaze to the dark form of the King.

"How long do you think we have before he breaks in?" Kain asked, wiping the sweat off his face.

"I don't know. We'll see."

The King stood in front of the barrier for several seconds. Zelda watched his form intently. How she proceeded through the battle depended on what he did next.

What looked like a tail arched over the King's back. Zelda ducked and covered her head as light enveloped Castle Town and an extremely loud crashing sound rent the air. Beside her, Kain crouched and gritted his teeth. Looking up, she saw the barrier shattering like golden glass, the pieces fizzing out of existence a second later. The wind began to blow.

When the commotion was over, Zelda cautiously stood up and looked around. The barrier was completely gone. Just like that, the King had demolished it. With the King in front, he slowly started forward, leading the smaller Constellation behind him. From her vantage point, Zelda still couldn't tell what he looked like, but he appeared to be about the size of a medium-scale ship.

A simple detail clicked itself into place in Zelda's mind. Without knowing why, she knew what she had to do in order to preserve the lives of her soldiers. She connected her telepathy to every leader in the army down below and shouted, _Pull all the troops back to the castle! You can't beat this enemy. Everyone pull back to the castle!_

She turned to Kain. "Kain, come with me. We're going to talk to the Constellation King."

Kain looked at her as if she'd suggested strapping a live bomb to her chest just for fun. "You want to _talk_ to the Constellation King? You can't - Does he even speak our language?"

"I don't know," Zelda repeated. "It's another hunch. You'll just have to trust me."

Kain looked back down at the city. The King nonchalantly kicked over a nearby house, crumbling it within seconds. He swallowed. "Alright, if you say so. But remember that my first priority is to protect you, and I can't do that down there."

Zelda turned and strode back into the castle. "Time is of the essence, Kain. If we don't do this quickly, we'll lose a lot more soldiers than we should."

While descending the stairs, Zelda focused her senses on the soldiers moving toward the castle. With the Constellation army (which now very much looked like an army) closing in on them, they had picked up their pace and were moving as fast as they could down Castle Town's battered streets.

Several dozen faces turned towards her as she entered the throneroom. Without stopping, she said, "As you are probably aware, the Constellation King has just arrived and destroyed the barrier. Don't panic, because I have a plan. The King will not make it here. But don't venture beyond the throneroom. Stay safe. I will return shortly."

As they left a room of bewildered faces, Kain walked closer to her and muttered, "Would you like to tell me exactly what this plan of yours is?"

"If I tell you," Zelda responded, "it might create false hope. I'm not even entirely sure I'm right. But my hunch says I am."

Clearly annoyed, Kain pressed, "So what is your hunch?"

"Please just trust me, Kain. You'll see when we arrive."

As they turned went down a staircase, Zelda contacted Byron again. _Byron? Are you alright?_

_Yes, but I'm having the crap scared out me!_ came the loud reply. _The Constellation King really means business, and boy is he ugly! I shot an arrow at his head, and it just bounced off like it didn't do anything. We're in some deep trouble here._

_I'm sorry, but we'll have to scare you a bit longer. I want you to meet me in front of Hyrule Castle. You, Kain and I are going to confront the Constellation King personally._

Byron paused. _You're either making a very bad joke, or you're deadly serious. I take it this is another one of your hunches?_

_Mostly. You'll see when we get there._

_"Mostly"?_

To avoid answering more of his questions, Zelda severed the link between them. She changed her fast walk into a jog. If the Constellation King reached Hyrule Castle before she reached him, it was all over.

As they reached the lobby, they found some of the soldiers milling around, several of them high-ranking. One of them raised his hand to ask her some questions, but she raised her hand in return to cancel them. "I can't explain now," she told them, "but I'll be back shortly. Have the men take up a defensive stance around Hyrule Castle, but the Constellation shouldn't get that far."

They exited the castle and were instantly greeted by a sea of soldiers. The normally green and pleasant courtyard was filled with shining silver and the occasional blood dripping from wounds. Out of the crowd, something else with green on top stepped up the stairs.

"Are you alright, princess?" Byron demanded.

She nodded. "Come with us quickly. We have no time to waste."

The high-ranking soldiers they'd met in the lobby began to issue new orders as Zelda, Kain, and Byron wormed their way through the crowd. The soldiers parted when they saw the princess to allow her to step through. The giant iron doors leading out of the castle grounds, which had been opened so the final retreating soldiers could flee in, hung on either side of the giant stone opening to Castle Town. Before the guards manning them decided to close them, the three ran through the opening and stopped.

From her new viewpoint, Zelda could now see something she thought no other person should have to see. The Constellation King brought up the vanguard of his army, slowly marching toward Hyrule Castle and bloodshed. The dark vibe intensified as he drew closer. Zelda got the feeling the common person would lose their mind at this point.

The Constellation King looked nothing like the beasts he had under his command. Eight legs sprouted from a long, tube-like body, giving him the appearance of a short (but still massive) centipede at first glance. Each leg ended in a human-like hand with five claws. The King's huge body was black, like the rest of the Constellation, but was composed of large scales that often stuck out from its body. His tail was about twice the length of his body, three times as thick as a tree trunk, and ended in a huge arrow-like dagger that glistened blue in the sunlight. His head was shaped like the black skull of a lizard's and had several spikes protruding from the back of it, which was almost the only thing about him that didn't look bug-like. Perhaps most intimidating, however, were the four giant, leathery wings expanded on his back, which took up a full block of Castle Town on their own. The second-place winner was his big, bulbous white eyes, which contrasted starkly with his underlings. All these features on a body around fifty feet long (not counting the tail) made him the most terrifying thing Zelda had ever seen.

The Constellation King emitted a deep grunt. The army behind him stopped as he continued forward. Zelda motioned for Kain and Byron to follow her as she proceeded toward the King. The dark vibe was clearly affecting their minds; if not for their proven bravery and loyalty to her, they probably would have turned back by now. Grateful for their faith, Zelda came to a halt when the Constellation King paused fifteen feet away from her.

The front half of the King's body straightened up, towering over Castle Town and spreading his wings further open. It looked as if his torso was standing on a living pedestal. He opened his mouth, which was full of dark, knife-like teeth, and spoke. His voice was deep to the point of creating shockwaves with each word. "You are the one who rules over this land?"

Zelda held his gaze. "I am."

The King extended his mouth to reveal more of his teeth in a disturbing grin. "This surely proves the weakness of the human race. You are all little creatures of soft flesh and nothing more. I was expecting their leader to be someone great and terrifying, but instead, you are smaller and softer than all the others."

Zelda cocked her head to the side slightly. "Would you care to explain, then, how my soldiers have defeated many of your monsters in a battle when the odds are against them? You underestimate the courage and determination of the little creatures of soft flesh. One day, that will be your undoing."

"You boast much for one who is about to die. You are in no place to backtalk your imminent ruler." He walked forward, gradually closing the distance between them. "My children, whom our creator named the Constellation, are the offspring of several hundred generations. Their power compared to mine is like comparing a bonfire to a star. It took me longer than them to dig my way up through the earth, but my strength remains unchanged, even after two thousand years. The only thing your kind could do to me was seal me away. I was careless then, but I am not so careless now."

"I have no intention of sealing you away," Zelda stated. "My intention is to kill you, and we have the power to do it. Don't think we do not."

The King laughed, shaking the entire city. "Does the termite threaten the dragon? Your perspective on my race must have changed with time. When we were created long ago, we blazed across the country, leaving scars, fires, and craters in our wake. We were unstoppable. Being a newborn, I was arrogant, and thus caught and sealed by five old humans. But I am no less invincible. That has not changed, even with time."

He stopped a short distance away from her. "I will offer you a choice," he announced. "Flee from this place and preserve your lives for a short time, or attempt to fight us and perish. We would much rather you flee. Unmoving prey is tedious."

"I don't think he's giving up," Kain muttered. "Are you sure this was the right idea?"

Zelda gently touched his arm to show she was listening, but ignored his question. "We will stay here and fight. Hyrule is ours."

The King grinned again. "That makes me upset, but I will grant your final desire. If you all want to die at once, I can arrange that. I shall start with you."

The glistening tail of the King arched itself over his back with surprising speed. Kain and Byron attempted to jump in front of Zelda, but everything seemed to move in slow motion compared to the speed of the King. With the tip aimed for Zelda's head, the tail stabbed forward faster than anyone could track. Zelda closed her eyes in preparation.

The sound of two giant metal objects clanging together filled the city and created the largest shockwave they'd felt yet. Zelda slowly opened her eyes and looked past her two bodyguards standing in front of her. Beneath the King's tail, a shining figure was holding it up with the sharp edge of his sword. While vaguely familiar, the figure was distorted by the golden fire enveloping his body. Small green fireballs occasionally swirled through the cloak of light. On the back of the figure's left fist, a Triforce shone brighter than the fire around it.

"Sorry I took so long," Link grunted.


	22. Chapter 21: Homecoming

The Constellation King contorted his face in what looked like a frown. "Stopped by a human. Surprising."

Link looked up at the behemoth. "I have a few more tricks up my sleeve if you'd like to see them. But I don't think now is the right time and place."

Gripping the Moon Sword with both of his hands, he swung the blade up, creating a loud scraping sound. The King's tail flew back over his body and pulled him twenty feet away from the force of the swing. He growled faintly, although it seemed more like a sound of thoughtfulness than anger.

Link turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder. "Are you guys alright?"

Zelda nodded, a smile forming on her face. "Yes, Link. Thank you."

Byron stared at her. "This doesn't surprise you at all."

Kain let off a small laugh. "So this was your plan. You sensed Link coming all along, and you brought us down here to buy us time for him to arrive."

Zelda kept her gaze focused on the back of Link's head. "For the most part, yes. But Link, I didn't sense you coming until you were close to Castle Town. With the power you have now..."

"I'll explain later," he promised. He turned back to the Constellation King. "This isn't the right place to battle. I can kill too many of your guys, and you can kill too many of mine. And since we're evenly matched in strength, it would just become a war of attrition. It wouldn't end until both sides were nearly destroyed and it was just the two of us fighting."

The King snarled, this time out of amusement. "You really think you're stronger than me, don't you? A mere human is no match for the full might of the Constellation." He straightened up higher. "But then again, you were able to stop my tail from crushing your ruler, which is equally impossible. Perhaps you'll provide the entertaining prey I was looking for."

Link stared the King in the eyes, golden flames still flickering around him. "None of your relatives have found it much entertaining so far. Your wife really seemed to regret her fight with me. ...She _does_ count as your wife, right?"

The King frowned again. "It was a shame to lose her as we did. We all knew you were powerful, but nobody expected the death of the Constellation Queen. You've surprised us at every turn, Starless."

Zelda's eyes widened. "You killed the Constellation Queen?"

"Yeah. We killed each other," Link said casually. On seeing Zelda's puzzled expression, he added, "It's a long story, but I'll tell you later. The King comes first."

The King backed up and lowered his upper body to the ground, producing a dull vibration through the streets. "You win for now, Starless. Neither I nor my offspring will attack you surface-dwellers for five days. In return, you will not harm any of my offspring. At the end of the five days, however, I expect a one-on-one battle with the Starless in my nest. If I win, I will come for the surface in full force. If the Starless kills me, the Constellation will disperse and never trouble you again. Is this acceptable?"

Link looked at Zelda cautiously, who nodded. He faced the King again. "Yes, this is acceptable. I expect we'll both be honing our skills until then."

The King gave his low growl, turned, and stomped away. Lifting his head up, he roared loud enough to shake Castle Town as if an earthquake had hit. Reluctantly, the Constellation turned around and walked away, grumbling to themselves.

Several minutes passed before anybody moved. Zelda got the impression everyone was waiting on Link before making an action. Far into the distance, the King began burying himself into the ground. His offspring did the same a second later.

Finally, Link turned around and walked to Zelda and her bodyguards. "How did the war go on your end?"

Zelda wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. "Well enough...considering the circumstances. If you had not arrived when you did, Hyrule would most likely have lost most of its soldiers in one fell swoop. Thank you."

Link looked at the ground. He was genuinely ashamed of something. "I really am sorry I took so long. I found the Constellation Compass inside Booby-Trap City on the day I was supposed to return. It was actually called Robber's Coffin, not Booby-Trap City. That's just a made-up name to show what I - "

"I understand," Zelda assured kindly but firmly. "Please continue."

Link cleared his throat. "I found and killed the Constellation Queen inside and picked up the Constellation Compass, though I don't think it'll do much good now. The King's already here. But when I tried to escape, the Queen's spirit assembled itself for her 'final strike.' She used the last of her power to kill me."

"'Kill you'?" Zelda repeated. "I'm not understanding, Link. Are you saying you're a ghost?"

"No, no. I mean...it's complicated. But the longer I use this form, the more of my own energy I drain. Now that we don't have to worry about the Constellation harassing us, can we go somewhere private and talk where I don't have to be in this form?"

Zelda nodded uncertainly. "Um...yes. Of course. But we have to disassemble the army and take care of other matters. It may be awhile."

The golden fire with the small green streaks slowly faded from Link. The determination from his eyes faded into dull acceptance and relief. He sheathed the Moon Sword and took a step forward, then collapsed onto his front knee and bent over, panting. Sweat poured down his once-clean face, and his skin grew paler each second. Zelda realized the loss of energy caused from his new form had caught up to him. As Link's life grew increasingly feeble in front of her, she knew he would die if left in that state for too long.

"Kain, Byron," she began, "can you carry Link to the castle infirmary and see that he receives prompt medical care? I'll begin the necessary tasks in the streets. Cleaning up after this mess will not be easy..."

Kain glanced at her. "Ordering us to leave you again? That's fine, but be careful. If the Constellation are heartless enough to kill and destroy just for fun, they may be heartless enough to go back on their word."

"I know, Kain."

With a short nod, Kain bent down and helped the already-unconscious hero to his feet. With Byron supporting him, the two of them strode back toward the massive doors leading to Hyrule Castle grounds.

Zelda sighed and rubbed her eyes. Battle was one thing, but the aftermath was something else entirely. There were bodies, both Hylian and Constellation, to bury or dispose of, as well as damage to be checked and supplies inventoried. She thought of the Hylian soldier who had written his letter to nobody in Hyrule Castle before the war had started. So many families had lost another member, and it was her job in part to console them and tell them how their loved ones had died. It almost seemed just as difficult and hopeless as beating the Constellation had been just an hour ago.

Accepting her duty, Zelda walked back to the weathered army around the castle and started the process.

* * *

Link slowly opened his eyes. When the blurriness in his vision faded away, he found himself staring at a white stone ceiling. _I'm indoors?_ Around the room, beds lined the walls, most of them occupied by weak-looking people. Looking down, Link realized he was laying in a bed himself. A few people dressed mostly in white busied themselves around the room, checking on the bedridden ones and making talk with confusing terms to one another. Sunlight streamed in through open windows beside Link's bed. Seemed like Zelda was comfortable about it already.

He sat up slowly, careful not to activate any bumps or bruises he'd acquired. To his surprise, he wasn't sore - just tired to the point of feeling dead. Although the doctors probably had something to do with that, he suspected most of his healing came from that shiny new ability of his. He groaned and rubbed his head. It was nice to be back, even if he only had five days before going back to the now-daily grind of running around and being shot at.

A young, brown-haired female nurse noticed Link and hustled to his bed, stepping around another patient's outstretched leg. She bowed somewhat anxiously and clasped her hands in front of her. "Good morning, Mr. Link. Are you feeling alright?"

Link nodded. "Just tired. Where am I?"

"The infirmary of Hyrule Castle, sir. Princess Zelda ordered us to watch over you until you awoke. Is there anything you need?"

"Yeah. A new job." Link cautiously slipped out of bed. The nurse hurried to support him as his legs started to buckle. After a few seconds, he straightened up, sighing. "How long has it been since the Constellation King retreated?"

"A little under...two days, I believe."

"Two days!" Link steadied himself as lights burst before his eyes from overexerting himself. He did the math in his head. "So I have about three days left before I'm supposed to meet the King in battle. Boy, did I oversleep for the biggest event in my life."

The nurse's eyes widened in defense. "Oh, no, sir! It's not your fault. The princess said you were in unstable condition before you came here. It's important that you rest as much as possible before your battle."

Link glanced out the window onto the courtyard below. _Do I look like a "sir" to her?_ He wasn't used to being treated like a noble. Then again, he _was_ the savior of, well, the whole world, so it was understandable. He yawned and stretched. "Thanks for the sentiments, but I could more training than sleep. Do you know any place where I can train safely?"

The young nurse blinked as if coming out of a reverie. "Actually, the princess asked that she see you when you were awake. If you wait here, I can get her for you."

"No, that's alright. If you tell me where she is, I'll find her. We need to discuss things of a private nature anyway."

Worry crossed the nurse's face, probably because Link was disobeying protocol in some form or another. Even so, she nodded and walked toward the infirmary's exit. "Please follow me. I'll take you to her."

As Link followed her, fighting off his grogginess, he surveyed the castle. It hadn't taken significantly more damage than when he'd last visited, but it still looked a bit shabbier. The open windows made a big difference in the aesthetics; the castle wasn't nearly as quiet and gloomy as it had been. Link couldn't help but feel this was the way things were supposed to be, but it was too early to relax. He had a deadline (disappointingly curtailed by two days) to meet. After that, he was free, one way or another.

Most of the people he passed either smiled at him nervously or made some sort of encouraging comment. Even after the twilight episode, Link was famous for his deeds, not for his name or his face. These days, it seemed like everybody knew who he was. Word had certainly spread in a short amount of time. Beyond that, for the first time in awhile, Link was beginning to see hope on most people's faces. The fresh sunlight streaming in through the windows seemed to carry a metaphor.

After several minutes of walking through halls and passing smiling officials, they stopped in front of a wooden door. The nurse rapped on the door a couple of times. "Excuse me. Mr. Link is here to speak to the princess."

A few seconds passed before a feminine voice called, "Let him in." The nurse opened the door and stepped aside, smiling anxiously again. Link thanked her and walked through. With a quick bow, she closed the door.

Zelda, her bodyguards, and a few other officials sat clustered around a long wooden table. They turned their focus to Link as he entered in. Although sunlight poured in through the windows, the room seemed a bit darker than the others he'd passed through. A map stretched across the table, various lines and words written across it.

Zelda tipped her head in respect. "Welcome back, Link. Although walking all the way to the meeting room was unnecessary. I would have been more than happy to meet you in the infirmary."

Link exhaled. "No, I need to speak with you personally. Some of the things I'm going to say are private, though I guess your two bodyguards, Kain and, uh...the one with the green hair..."

"Byron?" the one with the green hair volunteered.

Link gestured gratefully with his hand. "Yes. Kain and Byron can stay. They can't leave you anyway, can they?"

A grin tugged at Zelda's lips. "Well, things have become a bit more lax in the past couple of days. But I'd prefer to keep them with me if I can." She looked at the other people sitting around the table. "I'd like to postpone this meeting until further notice. My audience with Link takes first priority. I'm not sure how long we'll be, but I will send for you when we are done."

Taking their unspoken cue, the officials stood up and headed for the door. Some of them gave him the same smile almost everyone else had given him, while one or two looked at him like, "If you're going to barge into our meeting, can you at least show a few more manners?" When they all had left the room, Link pulled a chair out for himself and glanced at Zelda to make sure it was alright to sit. When she nodded, he sat down and scooted the chair up to the table.

Link wasn't sure how to start, especially with the princess staring him directly in the eyes. "So, uh...how's it going?"

For the first time in his life, Link heard Zelda laugh. While predictably high and ladylike, it caught him off guard. "It's going fine, Link. You still haven't caught onto any noble customs at all, have you?"

Link grinned sheepishly. "Well, I live in a small farming village. We don't have much need for etiquette there."

Byron shrugged in his seat next to Zelda. "Hey, stay that way. I've never gotten the big deal about noble customs, anyway."

"Though sometimes I wish you would," Kain muttered.

Now that Link was closer, he noticed Zelda was wearing the same outfit she'd worn the day Ganondorf was killed - a white dress with a purple top and long white gloves. Come to think of it, Link was wearing the same outfit _he'd_ been in that day...and pretty much all year. He wondered if it was worth getting a few new articles of clothing just to appear less bland.

"Things have been busy," Zelda explained, "but overall rather optimistic. Your return has brightened most of the Hylian soldiers. We have hope now." She leaned back in her seat. "Oh, Link. It's good to have you back."

Link laughed darkly. "I feel the same way. I almost didn't make it."

Kain rested his chin on his fist. "So what _were_ you doing, anyway? You said you found the Constellation Compass..."

Link fished around in his tunic. A second later, he pulled out the black compass and laid it on the table. "I had to kill the Constellation Queen and a small army of Constellation to get it, but at least we have it. Although I'm not sure how much good it'll do now with the King already out."

Zelda picked the Compass up and inspected it. "I suppose we'll see. We haven't developed a solid strategy yet. We're waiting on you for that." She set it back down. "Please start from the time you left Hyrule Castle."

Link racked his memory. That seemed like such a long time ago. "I left sometime in the morning and took a fairly dangerous shortcut to Lake Hylia. Once there, I had an old friend blast me into the desert using a cannon."

"A cannon?" Byron asked. "What, that Fyer guy?"

"Yeah. It was a bit of a rough landing, especially with my crippled leg, but it wasn't too dangerous."

"That reminds me," Zelda said quickly, "what about your leg? Did you ever cure that?"

Link lifted his leg. "Good as new. But I'll get to that in a second. I spent a few days wandering around the desert, not sure of what to look for. I got a little worried as my supplies dwindled, but I eventually realized something: both the Moon Sword and the Constellation Compass point to one another. There was an unnatural gleam on my blade that pointed to the Compass.

"I reached an old Gerudo treasure hoard called Robber's Coffin on the last day I was supposed to search in the desert. I fought my way past a few traps before stumbling into the Great Fairy's Spring." He decided not to mention Solar or the Dark Essence Tablet. For some reason, he felt that knowledge was private. "With the Great Fairy's Tears and some red mountain herb, my leg healed instantly.

"From there, it was straight into the treasure room, where the Constellation Queen and her underlings were waiting for me. After killing her, which was _not_ fun, I took the Compass and left. Shortly after I climbed back to the surface, the last of the Queen's energy formed itself and attempted to kill me. And it succeeded."

"So, you died?" Zelda prompted.

Link stared at the back of his left hand. "Yeah. I did. But now I kind of understand what Ganondorf went through. When the Sages tried to execute him, he probably wished for more power, the power to live. And somehow, he got it. As I was dying, I wished I could live just long enough to save Hyrule from the Constellation. It was all I could think about. From the best I could gather, the desire was strong enough to activate the Triforce of Courage, bring me back to life, and dispel the last of the Constellation Queen's energy."

Zelda rubbed her chin with her hand. "So that's what that form was? The one you used against the King?"

"Yup. That's the full power of the Triforce of Courage. It grants its user the ability to become faster, stronger, and more agile than they would be normally so they can save what they hold dear. But there's a catch." He considered his words for a moment. "The longer I stay in that form, the more of my life force I use up. If I use up too much of it, I most likely will die. The user has to be brave enough to not only put themselves in danger, but risk shortening their total lifespan. That's the danger I face.

"I discovered that the hard way when I made my way back to Lake Hylia. The moment I disabled that form, I went unconscious. Some, uh...guy that I know took me in and cared for me while I was weakened. I probably owe my life to him, but it still wasn't a pleasant experience."

Zelda frowned. "Who took you in?"

* * *

Link groggily opened his eyes. Sun rays shone on his face, warming his tired body. Looking around, he realized he was inside a sleeping bag on a wooden floor. The house he was resting in seemed largely open to the outdoors, revealing a perfect blue sky. As the wind blew through the open walls, he tried to remember how he had gotten where he was.

"Hi there!" a wide-eyed face yelled, thrusting itself in his view.

Link screamed, shot out of his sleeping bag, and crawled backwards to the nearest wooden post. Standing by the now-empty black sleeping bag was a fairly tall man with a large nose and eyes wide enough to cause Link to wonder if the man possessed any eyelids. Most disturbing, of course, were the lipstick, the goofy festival hat, the bright green belly shirt, and the pale pot belly hanging out over vivid purple pants.

"It's good to see you're awake!" the man cried in a singsong voice. "I was beginning to wonder if you were dead!"

"Falbi?" Link shouted. "What am I doing in your house?"

"Dear old Falbi found you unconscious down in Lake Hylia!" Falbi explained, rolling up the sleeping bag. "Rather than leave you as Guay food, I took you up here where you're safe and sound!"

Link relaxed his muscles, although he still expected Falbi to whip out a butcher knife and claim Ordonians made for the best steak. "Why haven't you fled Hyrule with everyone else?"

"Why would I move away from here?" Falbi pointed out, setting the rolled-up sleeping bag on the side of the room.

"A monster invasion comes to mind."

"This is my home!" Falbi said as if it cleared up everything. "The big bug things don't seem to mind me. In fact, they don't seem to like Cuccos all that much."

Link stood up gradually. "They don't?"

"Yep. They must not like their crows or something. Speaking of Cuccos, would you like to fly down to the Isle of Riches for just 20 - "

"I'll pass," Link grunted, brushing himself off. "How long have I been here?"

"A couple of days. You haven't woken up in all that time. Until now, that is. Would you care for some tea?"

"No thank you. I really have to get back to Hyrule Castle. Thank you for all you've done, though."

"No problem!" Falbi smiled, accentuating his large lips. "Although you really shouldn't go now; there's a war brewing there as we speak."

"That's exactly why I have to get back!" Link exclaimed. "Thank you for everything, but I've got to go."

"Just like that?" said Falbi. "Aw, it was kind of nice keeping you as a pet. Take care! And remember, if you want the most thrilling ride since launching out of cannons, it's right here, right now, no waiting in line! Of course, that's because all my customers left the country..."

Trying to avoid further conversation, Link jogged to the door, leaving Falbi to lament his loss of income.

* * *

"Sounds painful," Byron grimaced.

"It was awkward," Link agreed, "but I wasn't there for long. I went straight for Hyrule Castle after that."

"Then that must have been the day the battle started," Zelda concluded. "How come I couldn't sense you, though? I known I would have sensed you if you were in Lake Hylia."

Link shrugged. "Chances are, you were too focused on the tasks at hand to notice my presence. I was also pretty weak after using the form for too long, and I was sleeping when the battle started. But after I left Falbi's, I felt the King's presence and knew he had arrived. That awoke the old desire in me, and I transformed. To prevent the King from knowing where I was, I hid my own life force. It just came naturally to me. I think if I had gotten there a second later, you would have died. I just barely squeezed in under his tail as it was."

Zelda smiled. "I owe my life to you again."

"So that's where we are," Link finished. "Now, it's just a matter of resting and preparing to fight the King. With my new form, I'm right at his level, but you know what that means."

Zelda nodded. "There's an equal chance he'll kill you than you'll kill him. And if he wins, it's over for Hyrule. Even after we do win, we still have all his offspring to take care of..."

"Actually, that's not true," Link verified. Zelda stared at him. "After I kill the King, it's over. Most of the magician's magic went into the King, and a small part went to the Queen. That's the only thing sustaining the rest of the Constellatia race. So with the King and Queen dead, the rest will simply die with their source of life gone."

Zelda furrowed her brow. "How do you know this?"

"I...know. You'll just have to trust me. If I kill the King, the Constellatia threat is over. If I lose...you'll still have the Moon Sword. And you can still seal him away again. Without anyone to mate with, he won't be making anymore Constellation. It'll be an easier problem to deal with than what we've been going through."

"I suppose so." She tapped her fingers on the table restlessly. "Link...how certain are you you'll defeat the King?"

"Logically? About 50%. But once I'm there, I'm going to make sure I win. You can count on that."


	23. Chapter 22: The Essence of the Hero

"I believe it," Zelda said, smiling slowly. "I've had dreams the past couple of days, and they were all filled with light and hope. My hunch says we'll win."

Kain raised his eyebrows. "This is the first I've heard of it. It sounds like good news, though."

"No reason to slack off, though," Link sighed. "I have to be able to activate that form at will. I can't get to the King and wait for the adrenaline to kick in before he kills me. Winging it is never a good idea when an entire country is at stake."

Zelda's face became serious. She placed her hands over one another on the table and leaned forward. "I appreciate your drive, Link, but don't overdo it. We need you fully rested on the day of battle."

"I know."

"If all else fails, perhaps a sort of motivational speech right before the battle would activate your ability. That requires us knowing just where the King rests, however."

Link stared at her. "What do you mean?"

Byron fidgeted in his seat and looked away. Zelda ignored him. "I would like to accompany you to the showdown with the Constellation King, Link. Aside from...curiosity, I suppose, there are tactical reasons why I should be there."

"Tactical reasons?" Link repeated. "Like what? That battle is going to be massive. I don't think I could protect you there."

"She wants to seal the King," Byron interpreted.

Zelda sat up straighter as Link looked at her quizzically. "There's more to it than that. Should your attempts at killing the King be unsuccessful, I can seal the King away as a failsafe. With the King gone, someone could bear the Moon Sword and help defeat the remaining Constellation. It is not a pretty plan, but I believe it will be the most effective secondary plan we can come up with."

"Darn right it's not a pretty plan," Byron muttered, crossing his arms.

"You can do that?" Link asked. "By just yourself?"

Zelda hesitated and glanced away. "The mark gives me a lot of magical power, especially in sealing beings away." By "mark," Link knew she meant the Triforce of Wisdom. "I will also command some experienced mages to assist the sealing process from afar if need be. The Constellation King is powerful, but we should be able to seal him a far distance into the earth very quickly."

Link nodded slowly. "Well, you're the wise one, not me. If you think you'll be safe enough, I'm alright with it. But don't overdo it yourself. It wouldn't do to have Hyrule lose its princess, you know?"

Zelda smiled grimly. "Thank you for your thoughts. And, if you wouldn't mind, please don't spread word of my accompanying you. I don't want the King to change any of his strategies if he finds out, and I don't want my people to be so worried for my well-being."

"Got it." Link looked around, signifying the end of the talk. "That's about all I wanted to share with you. If you don't have anything else to say to me, I'd like to find somewhere to train."

"There's an area of the courtyard designed specifically for training," Zelda replied. "I can have Byron show you the way if you like. There are targets for archery as well, if you think it will help. But remember, Link..._don't overdo it_."

Link laughed slightly. "I know that. I'll pace myself."

With a brief nod, Zelda turned away and talked to Kain in a low voice. Byron stood up, stretched, and walked around the table toward the door. Feeling a bit awkward about how the conversation had ended, Link followed him into the hallway.

A minute of silence passed between them. Link was a man of few words, but he got the impression Byron was quiet as part of his job. At the same time, the discussion about Zelda accompanying Link must have perturbed him.

Link decided to break the ice. "So what's Hyrule been doing while I've been gone?"

Byron shrugged. "Same ol', same ol'. For the last couple weeks or so, anyway. Most of the citizens have been evacuated to neighboring countries, which is good since we've heard reports that most villages have been either totally destroyed or occupied by Constellation."

Link's heart skipped a beat. "Destroyed? Wait, what about Ordona? How many villages have been evacuated?"

"Ordona?" Byron looked behind him for a moment. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure we got the word out to all the settlements there. Not a big place, though." He met Link's eyes. "Oh, that's where you're from. The reports that came in said Ordon Village was completely empty with no dead human bodies, so I think you can rest easy there. Still, they did find quite a few traces of human blood." Apparently sensing a touchy topic, Byron turned back around and stopped talking.

They passed by a row of windows that opened to the courtyard. The stone wall hemming in the courtyard was chipped and fractured in several places as a result of the battle a couple of days ago. A lot of people, some of them wearing the silver armor of the Hylian soldiers, wandered around the open field, either making small talk or training in some fashion. Hole-ridden hay targets lined the wall opposite the window, arrows protruding from some of them. Padded-up soldiers sparred with fake swords in isolated areas, grunting as they swung and dodged.

"This is the training area?" Link asked.

"Yup. It's been pretty busy lately." They descended down a staircase leading to the bottom floor. "If you want to fight with someone, you'll have to use one of the wooden training swords. I don't think your practice partner would be too happy with you lopping off one of their arms, know what I mean?"

The stairwell opened to a wide horizontal hallway. Ahead of them were a couple of large doors leading to the outside. At Byron's unspoken command, the guards on either side of the doors opened them and nodded once to Link and Byron to show their respect.

"I don't think I'll be sparring with anyone," Link explained. "I just need to work on my new form's powers. You know, activating it and seeing what I can do with it."

"Yeah." They walked across the green lawn, staying clear of the people training. Byron stopped in between the archery range and a table cluttered with practice weapons. "Well, this is about as far as I can take you. I have to get back in time for the meeting you crashed." Link was about to respond when Byron laughed. "I'm just messing with you. But seriously, if you need anything, just ask around. I'm sure everyone here will do what they can to accommodate you. Also, give that 'new form' of yours a name. I don't particularly care what it is, but 'new form' is too boring."

Raising his hand in farewell, Byron turned and jogged back across the courtyard. Link exhaled and looked around the place. Now that he was here, he wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do. There wasn't much worth training for without his new form (which Byron had bluntly told him to name). He found a patch of grass a good distance away from everyone else and sat down in it cross-legged.

Adrenaline and the drive to courageously risk his life for someone seemed to activate the form. All he needed to do was picture an event that awoke those elements in him. Link closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Castle Town was about to be destroyed...the Constellation King was slaughtering soldiers left and right...his friends from Ordon Village were backed into a corner by the Constellation... Link felt his adrenaline rising. He had to save them. If he waited any longer, they would die. He let his anger bubble forth.

A few seconds passed. The wind blew his cap to the side. Link grit his teeth in determination, willing his form to appear.

Ten seconds later, he stopped tensing his body and opened his eyes. _Crap. It didn't work. I guess I just need to envision harder._

Castle Town _and_ Kakariko Village were set aflame. The King rampaged through the streets, laughing maniacally. Everyone from Ordon Village was surrounded. Beth started crying. Link would turn her tears of sorrow into tears of joy. He would save all of them and defeat the King!

At this point, Link was sure everyone around him thought he was constipated. Too much tensing and groaning, not enough glowing. No matter how hard Beth cried or how many Hylian citizens bit the dust, all Link got was a fuzzy feeling in his chest. Why was this so hard?

Link opened his eyes and glared at the back of his left hand. _Come on, help me out here. Just activate._ For ten seconds, the only sounds were of soldiers training and wind blowing. _I command you to activate!_ Link shouted mentally. More silence. Apparently, sacred relics engraved on the back of one's hand were not easily intimidated.

He needed to readjust his thinking. Link stared at the faraway targets and imagined each one was a person, strapped to a block of hay, screaming for help. One of the soldier's arrows pierced a young maiden's abdomen. Link brought up his adrenaline, willing himself to run as fast as he could to save her. Almost unconscious of his actions, he jumped up and took off toward the archery range, focusing only on the woman strapped to the hay.

A cry of "Hey, what are you doing?" brought Link's rush back down to zero. The moment he stopped running, an arrow whizzed by his face and buried itself in the target to his right. Link flinched instinctively.

A bow-wielding soldier on his left waved his arms. "What the heck! I almost shot you! What are you doing running around the archery range?"

"Sorry," Link stammered, "it was just...part of my - "

"Dude," another soldier muttered, "you almost killed the only one who can save Hyrule!"

"I know!" the first soldier exclaimed, pushing his hand through his hair.

Link grinned sheepishly and walked back. "Sorry. It won't happen again."

And Link learned a valuable lesson that moment: don't kill yourself before the real deal begins, no matter how pumped up you are.

Feeling embarrassed, Link sat back down in his designated spot. He felt the danger and determination. He did. But his form just wasn't activating for some reason. How come it seemed so easy those two times before? Did there _have_ to be real danger for the form to appear? He needed the power of the Triforce of Courage if he was to beat the King. Without that power of courage, the battle was hopeless.

The Power of Courage...that was a strong title. The very mention of it seemed to command respect. That was what this was...the power of courage...

For the next thirty minutes, Link found himself preoccupied with thinking up names for his new form. Several words were scrawled on the dirt, some of them barely legible. So far, the best Link had come up with were "Golden Body," "Courage Fire," "Golden Hurricane," and "Star's Bane." He suspected the name he chose would be one of those four.

He was broken out of his reverie by the approach of three people. He hadn't even noticed them coming with how distracted he'd been. Looking up, he realized it was Zelda and her bodyguards. "You're done with the meeting?" Link asked.

Zelda tilted her head. "There wasn't much to discuss after you left. Aside from sheer review of our plans, I don't think future meetings will do us much good until your battle with the King has been settled. How has your training been coming along?"

Link shrugged. "Not very far. I can't seem to activate the form. There's got to be something I can do or imagine to make it appear, but I just can't find it."

"Did you name your form yet?" Byron interjected.

Link pointed to the names scratched in the dirt. "I'm working on it."

Zelda looked puzzled but otherwise ignored them. "To make sure you don't exhaust yourself, I've brought you some red and green potions. If you need any more, don't hesitate to ask."

Link noticed the colored bottles in her hands and accepted them without a word. He placed them on the ground next to him for later use. He wasn't drained of energy yet.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Zelda asked, clasping her hands in front of her.

Link let out his breath in dark humor. "Uh...any ideas on how to get this thing to work?"

The princess stared at the courtyard wall and held her chin with her hand. "You said your form was enabled by the sheer willingness to risk your life for others...right?" Link nodded. "But your attempts at imagining such a scenario have failed. Perhaps, then, you must really _mean_ to save someone's life at the potential cost of your own, not just feel it."

Link stood up and brushed himself off. "So what do we do, light the town on fire?"

"Strap Byron to a target," Kain suggested, "charge him with a battering ram?"

Byron punched him in the shoulder, creating a dull _clink_. Kain pretended not to notice. Zelda, meanwhile, continued to stare at the wall in thought. Not wanting to disturb the princess, Link reread the names on the dirt again.

About a full minute later, Zelda turned her attention back to Link. "There are many things we could try, but I'm not sure if any of them would work right now. There has to be a real sense of danger for your form to activate. For now, all we can do is experiment."

"That's not going to fly when it comes to the King," Link muttered.

Zelda shook her head. "You will activate it when the time comes. All we're doing now is preparing for that moment. With that in mind..." She faced her bodyguards. "Kain, Byron, grab some practice weapons and fight intensely with one another. Link, when you think one or the other is about to be killed, try and activate your form. Watch them closely."

She promptly walked off, giving the training soldiers a wide berth. Stretching and rolling their shoulders, Kain and Byron headed for the weapons table. Link tried to remember what Zelda had told him. He had to _mean_ to save someone, not just feel the emotions of it. So when Kain or Byron looked like they were about to be executed (or something), Link would step in and save him. Seemed simple enough. Besides, it was Zelda's idea, and her ideas always worked.

A minute later, the royal bodyguards found an empty area about twenty feet from Link where they could fight without being disturbed. Link loosened his muscles as they touched swords and stared intensely at one another. A few seconds passed. At the same time a practicing soldier fell on the ground off in the distance, Byron slid his wooden sword up to Kain's neck. The brown-haired swordsman stepped back to avoid it, then dove in with a flurry of blows. Link narrowed his eyes, waiting for his opening.

Kain seemed to be the more-experienced swordfighter, but Byron still wasn't backing down. Actually, unless Link saw wrong, both of them should have either lost the use of one or two of their limbs, or been otherwise too injured to fight as well as normal, had their swords been made of live steel. He wondered if he'd missed his chance already.

Byron swung his sword furiously at Kain, who appeared to dodge each strike by mere inches. The amazing part to Link was how calm Kain appeared. His near misses weren't just frantic luck. He really knew what he was doing. If Link had attempted to dodge Byron's attacks like that, he would have wound up with half a dozen welts all over his body.

An earsplitting scream behind him froze the match in its tracks and raised every hair on Link's body. He whirled around, looking for the source. His eyes rested on Zelda lying on the ground near the archery range. To Link's horror, she was clutching an arrow shaft protruding from her stomach. Blood pooled around the wound and seeped into the ground.

"She didn't," Kain whispered, throwing his sword away and running after her.

Link's head spun. Yes, he needed to find a way to activate his form, but did Zelda honestly need to kill herself to make it happen? She'd told him to focus on the match, not on the archery range. Feeling sick, he ran after Kain and Byron.

Halfway there, he noticed one of the archers firing his bow. The arrow was aimed straight for Zelda. Without a doubt, it would hit her in a vital area. There was no way she'd survive.

Link grit his teeth. _Zelda, what have you done?_

The arrow embedded itself in the dirt behind Link with a cut-off whistling sound. He slid to a halt a few feet away, holding Zelda in his arms. The blood from her stomach stained parts of his tunic in droplets. A familiar golden fire surrounded his body.

He held her head closer to his. "Zelda, are you alright?"

The princess slowly held the arrow shaft up. The sharp end had snapped off. Link was about to check her wound for the arrowhead when she smiled guiltily. He straightened his back, realizing what she had done. Before he could say anything, Zelda extended her fingers and touched him on the forehead. A jolt went through his body, briefly awakening all his senses.

Kain and Byron quickly crouched down on either side of him, breathing heavy. Byron grabbed her shoulder gently. "Is she alright?"

Link bowed his head. "She was never shot. She's unharmed."

Byron swiped some of the blood with his finger. "Then what's this?"

"Red potion," Zelda answered. "I decided to use Link's jar as it was nearby. I promise, however, to supply you with more at your demand."

Byron stood up. Kain hesitantly followed suit a second later, placing his hands on his hips. "So you tricked us."

Link glanced to his left. The archer who had fired that last arrow was the same one who had almost shot Link. The soldier spread his arms innocently. "Look, man, it's not my fault I keep shooting at important people! The princess told me to!"

Zelda sat up and wiped the excess "blood" off her dress. With red smeared all over the lower half of her wardrobe, she looked like something from a horror story. "Yes, I ordered him to fire that arrow at me. I trust his aim, though. He would not have hit me."

"Or so you think," Byron grumbled, exhaling sharply. "What about your dress? That's ruined now."

Zelda waggled a finger teasingly. "All solved through the phenomenon known as washing. However, it achieved the desired result, did it not?" The whirling sound of Link's golden flames answered for her. "Besides, red potion is easy to wash off. Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to go change my clothes. Please stay in that form, Link, because I don't want to go through this again."

"Same here," Link, Kain, and Byron all muttered at the same time.

The princess stood up, brushed off her dress (as if it made much of a difference), and serenely walked back to the castle. Everyone in the courtyard stared at her until she disappeared through the doors.

"Okay, back to work," a soldier yelled. The buzz of the training grounds reluctantly resumed itself.

"Funny," Kain grunted, "how she only develops a sense of humor when her actions have everybody scared out of their minds."

"No it's not," Byron mumbled. "Anyway, thanks for saving our princess, Link. Again. The worst of your worries now should be the stares you're getting from everyone else. And if you think that form is draining too much energy, drink a green potion. You need to keep this going. If you want help with something, just ask." He sighed and walked toward the archery range. "Sometimes I want to slap that girl. This is going to be difficult to explain."

Link looked at Kain. "I'm just going to experiment with this form for a bit. If I need a green potion or something, I'll let you know."

Kain nodded silently, still shaken up from Zelda's clever yet terrifying move. Link strode away, imagining what he could do with his new power. He'd never really tried to create any new moves; he'd just experienced speed and physical power the past times he'd used it. He closed his eyes and reached into his inner recesses to see what magic he could pull up.

Link drew the Moon Sword and held it sideways in front of him. He channeled the golden fire into the blade, wrapping it in light. For a moment, it looked much like the Master Sword had when it was infused with the Sol Orbs in the Palace of Twilight. Eager to test his discovery, he trotted to a small boulder as tall as his waist lying at the edge of the courtyard. Preparing his sword by his side, he swung it to the right.

The boulder might as well have been made out of wet paper. The top half of the rock slid off slowly and fell to the ground with a resounding thump. Link grinned at the Moon Sword. Now he was getting somewhere. On an impulse, he charged the Moon Sword with both its own magic and his fire. Spinning around, he brought the sword in an upwards arc, releasing the energy at the sky. The courtyard lit up with a sound like thunder as a blast of golden energy filled the air and disappeared over one of the castle's towers. Everyone stopped training (again) and stared at the sky.

Silence passed for a minute. Feeling excited, Link glanced back at Kain. "I'm going to need a bigger training area."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Link settled himself about a mile west of Castle Town, still enveloped by the fire. At his command, he'd been supplied with a large number of green and red potions, which he rested at the base of a tree a far distance off.

This part of Hyrule Field was a bit more forest-y and provided for some good targets. He focused on a tree to his right and filled his sword with more energy. Almost by wishing it, he was standing in front of the tree, pointing the Moon Sword forward on his left side. All but the bottom four feet of the tree toppled over, landing with a crunching sound in front of him.

As much fun as he was having, he couldn't go wild. He needed to be in top condition for his fight with the Constellation King, and Hyrule valued its ecosystem as much as the next country. He decided he would only practice for a few more minutes before canceling his form. He wouldn't activate it again until the big moment came.

It was amazing what the new form had done to his senses. He was aware of almost every life-form within a half-mile radius, and he noticed even tiny details in the environment. Although he could hear so many different things at once, he didn't find them intrusive. Best of all, he got the feeling he'd respond in time to anything that attacked him, even if it was from behind.

To test his speed, Link dashed from tree to tree, finding he could focus on each one as easily as if he'd been going in slow motion. He swung his sword from all different angles, never stopping long enough to see what damage he'd done, although he could somehow feel it. Ten seconds and forty trees later, he stopped, lowering his sword. Behind him, it looked like a tornado had destroyed western Hyrule. Some trees, many over a hundred feet tall, lay vertically cut in half on the ground. Link smiled at his work.

He understood the gist of his power, but there was one other move he wanted to try. In a split second, he wound up a little north of his starting point, where there were actually trees left to cut. During his journey in the twilight episode, Link had often met an ethereal, skeletal warrior who called himself the Hero's Shade. The Hero's Shade had taught him most of the advanced sword techniques he knew, and he probably wouldn't have killed Ganondorf and saved Hyrule without them.

The last and greatest of the techniques, though, was a move that activated through the overflowing health and spirit of the user. Known as the Great Spin, it worked through Link's trademark spin attack to create a flaming torrent of energy around his blade. What could he do with the ability when his new form was activated?

Summoning up energy, Link spun in a circle, stretching out his sword arm. He unleashed the energy with a battle cry, bathing the landscape in light and drowning out all other sounds with the loudest thunderclap yet. He inspected the results after he stopped spinning. Every tree and boulder for around half a mile had been completely severed horizontally, littering the countryside with what looked like the corpses of nature. All the grass in the surrounding area was frayed and blackened at the tips. In the distance, birds loudly flew away, angry that their rest had been disturbed.

Link nodded to himself. This would do.


	24. Chapter 23: Lair of the Beast

The next three days were a mixed bag of emotions. Without being able to train in his special form, Link felt as if he was wasting valuable time. He'd only discovered a small handful of new abilities from his session, and most of it he had already been aware of one way or another (Great Spin + loads of Triforce-backed energy = destruction). At the same time, there was nothing he could do without potentially weakening himself for the upcoming battle with the King, and he was tired as it was. Much of his free time was spent doing very little moving.

Zelda had allowed him to stay in a vacant room in the castle while he recuperated. Despite how ravaged Hyrule Castle was in its current state, his room was surprisingly lavish and undisturbed. It was big enough to be its own house and seemed, from Link's point of view, to have more room than it needed. Red carpet covered the floor, standing out from the pure white walls. All the necessary furniture, like cabinets, dressers, and a bed, stood against the walls, well out of the middle of the room. Link had never been inside a noble's house, but now that he'd seen what it looked like, he didn't know if he wanted to go back. He was surprised such comfort was possible.

Link sat on the foot of his bed, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. Today was the day. Either Link died today or he didn't. And honestly, he wasn't 100% sure he would win. He would do his best - he kind of had to if he didn't want Hyrule's destruction - but the King wasn't one to be taken lightly, and sheer optimism didn't win everything. Every time he thought about today's significance, his stomach churned. Strangely enough, though, he felt a sense of peace. Was that usual for someone facing death?

He thought back to his younger days. Just a year ago, he'd been a peasant living in a forest village, not even a proper Hylian. The most fighting he'd ever done was a little sword practice with Rusl. Then quicker than he could register events, he'd been transformed into a wolf, thrown into a dungeon, paired up with a mysterious imp of the twilight, and deemed the chosen hero of the gods. Not bad for a common farm boy, eh?

But being the world's hero and all that wasn't nearly as great as it was cracked up to be. Link sighed and bent forward. For once, he would have liked to have been one of those on the sideline, cheering the real hero on. He had his role in the twilight episode. Why did the Constellation come so soon afterwards?

Link drove his gaze into the floor. Was there some connection between the two events?

Actually, Hyrule's history had been marked by all kinds of wars and invasions. He didn't know the details on most of them, but he was surprised there were so many realms and races in the world and that they could all be so different. He'd never heard of very many wars in neighboring countries, either. Maybe it was Hyrule's destiny, as the land of the goddesses, to be wracked by chaos all the time. Light and dark...the war with the Constellation was just another chapter of that saga.

The battle with the King was mostly waiting on him. Zelda kept telling him to rest all he needed, although pushing their luck with the King was obviously a stupid idea. Link solemnly looked out the window. It was getting on noon. His room had a view to Castle Town below. The last thing he wanted was to see it overrun by Constellation again.

There's not much point in just sitting here. I might as well start the process. He stood up and walked slowly to the door. After resting his hand on the doorknob a few seconds, he opened it and stepped into the hallway.

Not many people were out and about. Hey, it was the beginning of the end. Either everybody died today or Hyrule was saved. In light of that, diplomatic matters must have seemed trivial. Zelda had told Link she'd be waiting for him in the throneroom. The whole way there, he didn't see a single person.

Link wasn't a philosopher, but even he'd begun thinking about moral matters recently. Not only was he facing death at every turn, but he'd entered a brief period of peace. With no monsters to kill or villages to save, there wasn't much else to do. He'd spent a lot of time just lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling as he'd been doing earlier.

For one, death was a funny thing. It came for everybody, but people were scared of it nonetheless. Was it right to be scared of something you knew was coming? During times of war, especially ones where giant creepy bugs were concerned, people thought about it and feared it all the more. Link often wondered why he'd been afraid of death before. He'd lived an honorable, fulfilled life, and if life was just a temporary shell, did it matter what happened to him? Paradoxes within paradoxes.

The throneroom doors came into view as he turned the corner. He'd also thought about human emotions. They were entirely responsible for starting wars. Even the Constellation had feelings; they just allowed the negative side of them to run rampant. Emotions could also restore a kingdom and produce happiness. They were a double-edged sword. Not for the first time, Link asked himself why everybody couldn't just get along. If they did, his job would be a lot less painful.

The guards on either side of the doors announced Link's arrival and opened the doors for him. He was greeted by a room full of people, mostly high-ranking soldiers. The princess stood in front of the throne, dressed in the golden battle armor Link had seen her in five days ago. She turned around and gave him a sad smile as he entered the room. Link just nodded in response.

"How are you feeling?" Zelda asked, readjusting her gauntlets.

Link waited until he reached her before answering. "Strange. But pumped up. Kind of the way I felt before I stormed Hyrule Castle last time. How about you?"

She shrugged slightly. "Much the same. I also feel a sense of happiness. We're going to win today."

"Is that, uh..."

"Yes, it is." Zelda attached a slim sword in its scabbard to her belt. Link's eyes couldn't help but draw to her right hand. "I'm nearly finished with my preparations. When I'm done, I'll be ready to move out. Are you prepared, Link?"

"Yup. Mostly just waiting on you."

A soldier on Link's right motioned with his hand. "We all want you to know, Mr. Link, that we wish you and the princess the greatest success. What you are doing is something most of us would never have the courage to do."

"Yeah," Link agreed, "I've got that. Thanks for the encouragement."

Byron, who had been helping Zelda with her armor, looked up. "Did you name your form?"

Link's mind went blank. "Uh...Courage Fire."

"Courage Fire?" Byron repeated. He nodded to himself and went back to inspecting the armor. Looked like the name had Byron's approval.

Link stretched himself out while he waited for Zelda to finish up. Now that he was up and moving, he was eager for the battle. His anxiety slowly fluttered down as his adrenaline went up. Every so often, a soldier would voice their praise and encouragement for Link and Zelda. For once, it didn't sound like contrived flattery.

A few minutes later, Zelda stood in front of a kneeling Link, who was stretching his legs on the floor. Link, startled, snapped his head up. "You're done?"

She slowly blinked in response. "Shall we go?"

Link got to his feet. "Yeah. Let's go."

As they turned to leave, Kain cleared his throat. "I know this goes without saying, but...be careful. We won't be there to protect the princess, so that's your responsibility in part. You have a massive job as it is, but don't overdo it with the danger."

Link bowed his head. "I'll make sure of that. Both the princess and I will return later today." He turned to Zelda. "Are we free to go? Do you need to clear up anything else?"

She shook her head. "Kain and Byron will take care of the castle in my absence and prepare for the Constellatia attack should we fail, which we will not. The only escort I require is you. So, if you will lead the way..."

Link gave everybody in the room one last glance before walking for the doors. He heard Zelda fall in line behind him. The guards opened the doors, letting them exit. As soon as they passed, they shut the doors quietly.

Neither of them said anything for much of the journey down the castle. Link felt around in his pocket, checking and double-checking to make sure the Constellation Compass was still there. If he was late for the battle... His Moon Sword, of course, didn't need checking; he could feel its weight on his back, and he rarely let it wander far from him. He had decided to leave his shield behind. It wouldn't do him much good in the coming fight, and it would just slow him down.

Despite her armor and the sword she carried, Zelda probably wouldn't be doing any fighting. That being the case, her protection would be second on his priority list, right behind killing the Constellation King, and neither job would be easy. One explosion, and Zelda could bite the dust. Link would have to check his own abilities.

They started down a spiral staircase. Link looked over his shoulder. "I trust you, princess. I want you to know that. I wouldn't be doing this like this if I didn't. But I need to know why you're so sure my Courage Fire will activate in time to save us."

Although he couldn't see Zelda, he could hear the smile in her voice. "You will see when the time comes, Link. Be assured that your Courage Fire will appear when we need it. This is more than just a hunch."

Link might have argued the point further on another day, but he didn't particularly care now. Zelda knew it would work. He would do it. That was all he was concerned with.

As they entered the large, empty foyer, Link was struck with irony. The last time he'd steeled himself for the final hand of a war, he'd been invading the castle through the foyer, not the other way around. The quiet was eerily reminiscent of the past.

A moment later, they were outside the castle and strolling through the town, picking up speed as they got closer to their destination. As a precaution, Link scanned the alleys for Constellation in case he was either too late or the King went back on his word. They crossed the entirety of Castle Town without seeing one. Link got the impression the King at least had a sense of honor, even if he was a cruel, evil monster.

The green of Hyrule Field loomed closer as they neared the edge of Castle Town. In the distance, Link could see what looked like a giant pit in the ground. He pulled out the Constellation Compass and held it in front of him. The black arrow pointed to the general area in front of him. It looked like the King had made entry to his nest easy for them.

"Link?" Zelda asked.

"Hm?"

She paused for a second. "As I'm sure you've been doing as well, I've been thinking in the past few days. Now that the war is reaching its climax, the yearning for answers has taken a deeper hold of me. What I ask may be personal, but I'd like you to answer some things for me."

Only a princess could talk like that and make it sound natural. Link slowed his pace. "Sure. What is it?"

"I lost my parents to Zant nearly a year ago. I don't know much about your upbringing Link, but...what happened to your parents?"

Link shrugged. "My mother died of an illness when I was about two or three, so I don't remember much about her. My father raised me on the edge of Ordon Village and taught me to be confident even when I don't have control of the situation. He would always tell me about these fantastic journeys and adventures of his, getting lost in the woods and fighting undead in catacombs and whatnot. I didn't know if I really believed his stories or not, but they were a big inspiration to me.

"According to him, they named me Link when they saw I was born with a Triforce mark on the back of my left hand. He said I was named after an ancient hero who was sent by the goddesses to save Hyrule."

"An ancient hero?" Zelda repeated.

"Yeah. Until the whole twilight thing began, I just thought it was a cool name. When the twilight hit and I learned about the Triforce, I realized it was more than just coincidence."

Zelda nodded behind him. "It's far from common knowledge, but there's actually more than one example of a young man - or sometimes even a boy - arising from nowhere and saving the kingdom in one way or another. Although the events of those time periods inevitably became legends, the details were often lost. What little we have left often suggests the hero's name was Link, often in multiple legends."

Link exhaled in humor. "And I guess I'm just the next in that line. I wonder how much my father knew about all that."

They were halfway to the giant pit in Hyrule Field. "So," Zelda continued, "what happened to your father?"

"When I was twelve, he left on a hunting trip through the woods. I never saw him again after that."

"Oh." Though Zelda appeared to mull over it, Link tried to push it out of his head. It wasn't necessarily a painful memory, but he didn't want to be distracted from the task at hand. "In that sense, our lives are similar, yet vastly different. It's strange to think that the two of us are ingrained in something so legendary."

So strange, in fact, that Link could never quite wrap his head around his significance in Hyrule's future. Or its history. Until recently, he'd never even considered what Hyrule's background had to do with him.

They didn't speak again until they reached the pit. Link stepped to its edge, bent over, and looked down. There was a steep, grass-free slope in front of them that seemed to have been forcefully dug out. It descended into pitch blackness a short climb down. Hyrule Field arched over it on the other side, carefully carved to avoid collapse. Link guessed it was only natural that the Constellation would have mastered digging after doing nothing but that for two thousand years.

"Looks pretty dark," Link muttered. "If we climb down slowly, I can use the light from the Moon Sword to light our way, but it'll be a bit tricky."

"Don't use the energy from your Moon Sword," Zelda said quickly. "You'll need all of it for the battle. I'll use the Triforce of Wisdom to create a light. Just lead the way down."

In some places, the slope was steep enough to be a cliff. It wouldn't have worried Link much if it was just him, but now there was a woman (a princess, of all people) who needed to keep up with him. Tilting his head in acceptance, he slid his legs over and rested on the closest bump down, holding onto the side of the slope. When he was certain he wouldn't fall, he reached his hand up to help Zelda down. She took it and gradually lowered herself to the general area Link was in.

Link's hunches weren't nearly as accurate as Zelda's, but his intuition told him the slope was longer down than what they saw. Guiding Zelda down the whole way would take a lot of time. He hoped the King wasn't getting impatient.

"Alright," Link sighed, "how about you go to that shelf sticking out right there - " he pointed to a flat bump down on his right - "and I'll follow you. That way if you fall, I can catch you."

"Okay." Still holding his hand, Zelda lowered herself to the spot Link had indicated. When she was settled, Link worked himself across the slope, putting one foot on the shelf and the other on the slope. It wasn't the safest way to do things, but Link had never really had to worry about helping someone else up and down the goddesses' geography. He wasn't about to admit it to Zelda, but he barely had any clue what he was doing.

Link cautiously wiped his forehead with the hand not holding Zelda's. He slid down a little bit, knocking a few pebbles down the slope. Suspecting he didn't have much time left before a freefall, he swept his eyes over the terrain, looking for another safe point.

"Alright," Link started, "there's a bulge a few feet to my left. If I can - "

He turned his body to help demonstrate, and everything literally went downhill from there. His foot planted on the slope slipped out from below him, causing him to do a contorted split. Zelda lunged forward, attempting to get a better grip on him, and toppled over the shelf with a scream. Now they were both sliding down the slope, yelling as they plunged into darkness much faster than they'd planned. Link maneuvered himself in front of Zelda and held her to him (not that she needed much prodding) to protect her from the rocks jutting out all over the place. Every time he bumped into something, he thought of the Great Fairy's Tears he had on him and hoped the bottle wasn't shattered.

Thirty seconds later, the ground leveled off, and they went careening into blackness. They came to a halt a moment later. Guess that took care of the speed problem.

Link let go of Zelda and sat up. "Are you alright, Zelda - I mean, Princess Zelda?"

She coughed. "Yes, although being the cushion for your back was a less-than-pleasant experience."

"Sorry."

"And you can just call me Zelda, Link. I've always thought we were on equal terms with one another."

Link looked around. They had gone so far underground that he couldn't see the top of the tunnel they'd slid down. There was nothing but darkness as far as he could see. Uncomfortably, Link reminded himself this was also the lair for the Constellation. They could see him, but he couldn't see them.

A light shone from Zelda's hand, illuminating the room so they could see clearly. They were in a dirty, rocky cave, but it wasn't the kind of cave Link had ever seen before. Black vegetation sprouted from the floors, walls, and ceiling, looking more like leathery stalks than plants. Even more creepily, some of the plants seemed to pulse with some unknown fluid, and black strands from the more grown ones moved all on their own.

"What is all this?" Link murmured.

Zelda shook her head. "Nothing I've seen before. The plants seem to be filled with some foreign magic. I don't know if they're ordinary plants that have been tainted, or creations of the Constellation."

Link felt a dark aura fill the room. He recognized it as the essence of the Constellation King. They were getting closer. "Well, let's keep going. I think we're almost there."

The cavernous room they were in stretched on for about fifty feet and led to a narrow tunnel. The ground was just as bumpy as the slope they'd crashed down, and Link noticed several deep gash marks where the digging must have ended. Unsure of what the black vegetables were, he made it a point to stay as far away from them as he conveniently could.

The tunnel was six feet wide at its largest and stretched on long enough to prevent Link from seeing the end. Black strands filled the narrow corridor, meaning they had no choice but to go through them. Making sure Zelda was close behind him, he walked forward slowly.

Link shook his feet as the strands started wrapping his legs. It seemed like a sickeningly loving gesture. As shiny as the strands were, they were extremely dry, rubbing against Link's face like a huge rat's tail. He couldn't wait to get out of there, but he didn't want to know what the strands would do if he ran. Maybe nothing at all, but he wouldn't take that risk.

A strand wrapping around his right wrist began tightening its grip. Link yanked his hand away, breaking the bond before it could lock. Zelda gasped as she fought off similar annoyances behind him. These things were becoming more and more curious. Link strained his eyes to see the end of the tunnel. All he saw were more strands.

Another strand bound itself around Link's right calf, tightening before he could pull away. He lifted his foot up, trying to break the connection. Its grip only got firmer. More strands began wrapping themselves around his body, restraining his movement. Link had disturbing flashbacks of the first time he died.

With a grunt, he drew the Moon Sword and sliced the strand tied around his right calf. It severed easily and flopped on the ground with no real direction. Getting desperate, he did the same to the other strands, freeing himself.

"Link!" Zelda called. She was gradually getting wrapped up like some sort of black, shiny Gibdo. She had taken her sword out to cut off the strands, but when they simply wrapped around that, she resorted to frying them off with light magic. Link cut through the strands, careful not to hit Zelda's outstretched limbs, and pulled her through.

If there was ever a time to experiment, it was now. "Run!" Link shouted. He grabbed Zelda's hand and stumbled as fast as he could through the now-restless strands, swinging his sword angrily in front of him. Black tails fell all around him, turning the floor into a writhing mass of living plants.

"There's the end!" Zelda yelled.

Putting on an extra burst of speed, Link went against Zelda's earlier instruction and unleashed a Moon Disk through the tunnel, cutting off most of the remaining strands. A second later, they were in the clear. No more strands.

They both stood and panted for awhile. At least they'd figured out what the black strands did. Now he never wanted to do it again.

Link turned to Zelda and smirked. "So, I've been thinking about becoming a botanist..."

Zelda laughed. "Perhaps I should put them around the castle for decoration."

They glanced around the room, taking in the change of scenery. It was tall and wide enough to be the foyer in Hyrule Castle (only decorated with Zelda's new plants). The black vegetation was more common than in the first room they'd entered. The defining feature, though, was the slope going up on their right. Black lumps about as high as Link's knee covered the area in front of and on the slope itself. The lumps looked kind of like giant clusters of grapes with their misshapen bulges across their oval-shaped bodies. On every wall but near the slope, tunnels led deeper into the nest.

One of the oval lumps about fifteen feet to Link's right wobbled. The last thing he wanted now was another surprise from another stupid living plant. The lump shook again, and the top of it pressed outward. With a squelching sound, a thin tail protruded from the top and fell weakly on the side of the lump. Soon after, the lump pushed out in more places, revealing sharp limbs when the bulges broke.

"It's an egg," Zelda whispered.

In a few short moments, a newborn Constellatia stared up at Link, blinking in wonder, eggshell falling off its head. It was dark purple instead of black, as the hard shell hadn't come in yet. Its body was thinner and flimsier than most of the "baby" Constellation Link had seen. In spite of his hatred for Constellation, Link thought it was kind of cute. He half-expected it to squeak "Mama?" and hug his leg.

A deep thumping sound behind him brought him back to reality. Before Link could even turn, an adult Constellatia lumbered beside him, passing him by mere inches. It was the closest Link had ever been to a Constellatia without trying to kill it. The Constellatia ignored him and lowered its head to the newborn, growling in its unique language. A second later, it gently gripped the newborn's torso with its mandibles and started back.

When it passed in front of Link, it stopped and looked deliberately at him. Link returned its glare to show he wasn't intimidated. Instead, the Constellatia tilted its head at the large tunnel straight in front of them on the other side of the room. Growling again, it tromped off, dangling the newborn from its mandibles.

"Thanks for the direction," Link called after it. It did nothing in response. "I guess that's the way to the King. Come on."

They strode across the breeding room and into the large hallway, which was doubtless designed to suit the King's size. As the tunnel stretched on almost endlessly, the dark aura of the King grew. To Link, it felt like an outside force trying to press its way into his mind, but it was always repelled by the Triforce of Courage. More of the black plants appeared as well, until they were worming their ways through what seemed like a sea of dark cucumbers.

Link accidentally knocked the top off a plant with his foot, spraying purple liquid on the ground. "Is there a particular reason for making the tunnels this long?"

"We must be getting close," Zelda panted. "The King's aura is getting almost as heavy as it was the day he attacked Castle Town."

Zelda's Triforce light could only reveal so much of the tunnel at a time. Link felt like he was getting lost inside a nightmare. The tunnel just went on and on and on, in near-pitch blackness, with strange, purple-liquid-containing plants dotting the ground. The anticipation was agonizing. He couldn't calm the butterflies in his stomach.

A minute later, he found something he wanted to see but was no more fond of; a couple of bright white orbs shining at the end of the tunnel. When Zelda stepped closer, the tunnel was revealed to open up into a large chamber. Two rows of sharp white teeth opened beneath the shining orbs.

"I was beginning to think this moment would never come," a deep voice rumbled.

Link closed his eyes and sighed. Oh, boy.


	25. Chapter 24: Starless vs Starborn

The Constellation King widened his mouth in another one of his intimidating grins. "I am pleased to see you finally made it. Humans were such dull prey when we fought them years ago. They were so weak and worthless, and the few with power avoided battle rather than confronting it. I don't know the origin of your power, but I will relish this fight. There may be none like you after you are gone."

The dark aura was still thick in the air, but it seemed to strengthen Link's resolve all the more. To his right, Zelda had turned pale. The Triforce of Wisdom probably protected her from most of the aura's effects, but Link's Triforce of Courage seemed to do a better job of it. He had to be fearless if he was going up against something this ugly.

The room they'd walked into was the biggest they'd seen in the nest yet. It was perfectly circular in shape and arched up into a dome above them. The top of the dome was about a thousand feet above them and meticulously carved without a single bump, unlike the majority of the nest. A full mile seemed to stretch from wall to wall. That was as far as Link could tell; the room would be pitch black if not for Zelda lighting part of it up.

"However," the King rumbled, lowering his head, "I must say I am disappointed in your treachery. I have been contemplating releasing my kin on your race even as you approached."

"Treachery?" Link repeated. "I've kept my end of the bargain. You can't just go back on yours."

"Then answer me," the King demanded, "why you brought your soft leader here."

"Did you tell me not to?" Link asked, reminding himself of a misbehaving child.

The King growled, shaking the room. "I will tell you what you are planning. The leader does not believe you will defeat me, and rightfully so. When the battle does not go in your favor, she will use her magic to seal me again in order to buy her race time. We love bloodshed, but we only appreciate it when it is properly given. This is treachery indeed."

Link's heart beat faster as he realized they may have doomed Hyrule by violating the King's personal code of honor. "Well, the fact remains that neither of us have broken our promises. You can't be the first to toss away your part of the bargain."

"I understand," the King said, "and so I will refrain from annihilating your race early. I will battle you one on one, and your leader will not interfere. Not before..." Squelching sounds approached Zelda from behind. She looked back, gasping as black strands began wrapping around her legs. "Not after."

"What are you doing?" Link yelled. "You can't do that!"

"Did you tell me not to?" the King responded in a low voice.

The black strands worked up to Zelda's hips, completely immobilizing her legs, and started dragging her away. Link extended his arm to her, intending to cut her loose and pull her back. He had to protect Zelda on his terms, not on the King's. Anything could happen to her then.

Zelda grabbed Link's hand and pulled him to her. Before he could regain his balance, she tapped him on the forehead with two outstretched fingers. A horrifying shriek filled the room, and Link saw Zelda lying on the ground, covered in blood, an arrow sticking out of her stomach. The image was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. The real Zelda smiled sadly as the black strands enveloped her body and took her farther away.

Link slowly retracted his arm and held it in front of his face. A Triforce glowed on the back of his left fist, lighting up the room just like Zelda's piece. Golden flames burst to life on his arm, searing across his body until he was covered in the Courage Fire. Small green fireballs whipped through the flames, lending Link's connection to the goddess Farore.

"You can do it," Zelda whispered. The strands closed over her face and dragged her to the edge of the room. With the light emanating from Link, he could see everything in the room clearly.

"Don't worry," the King said, stomping closer to Link. "I'll make sure nothing happens to her during our fight. Afterwards, however, she is mine. If you want to save her..." He reared up into his semi-standing position and spread his wings. "...Then you had better fight with everything you have."

Link drew the Moon Sword from his back and channeled his energy into it, lighting it ablaze. The edges of his tunic flapped wildly from the excessive power and the room lit up brighter. He didn't need to say anything special before the fight. He just had to kill the King before the Courage Fire used too much of his life force.

Zelda was a shiny black lump at the corner of the room. She'd be out of the way. Link felt as if he could use every one of his abilities without worrying about her.

Link swung his sword and produced a giant, bright white Moon Disk at the King's head. Moving quicker than Link had expected, the King shifted his body to the side and let the disk pass, glaring at his enemy as the disk exploded into the side of the room and showered rocks on them. The King jabbed his tail at Link repeatedly - though with the speed and ferocity of the attack, it reminded Link of the Constellation Queen's needle barrage. The Moon Sword reacted on its own to every jab, blocking the tail or deflecting it in time to save Link. On the last jab, Link realized the tail was glowing with purple fire. Before he could make any meaningful conclusions, the flaming tail plunged into his sword and sent him flying backwards. He hit the wall a few seconds later and saw stars burst in his vision.

Solar's advice came back to him: the Constellation King had received most of Solar's star magic, making him one of the only Constellation to be able to use magic. The King had used it to pound through Link's defense and knock him off his feet. He'd have to be more careful in the future.

Although momentarily stunned, Link wasn't hurt. He kicked himself off the hole he'd left in the wall and dove at the King's chest, sword raised. The King grabbed the Moon Sword with two of his eight hands and began pushing Link away. Link released a burst of energy through his sword and sliced down, freeing his blade. The King glanced at the miniscule cut on one of his hands like it was an annoying housefly.

Link seized the opportunity and swung his sword at the King's hand, using the force to pull himself forward. The King made a small circular motion with his hand, grabbed Link's wrist as his sword whizzed by, and threw him into the air. Link noticed the tail lunging at him from the corner of his eye and raised the Moon Sword to protect himself. The tail looped through the air, proving itself to be more flexible than Link had guessed, and smashed into Link from the side, sending him down to the King's back. A purple shockwave blasted from the King, flinging Link back into the air in front of the giant Constellatia. On impulse, Link released a Moon Disk and flipped, creating his own vertical shockwave. The wave narrowly missed the King and cut into the dome. Link landed hard on the ground a second later.

Even with my Courage Fire, I can barely keep up with him, Link thought, jumping to his feet. He was hurt this time, but he was far from finished.

"Well," the King said, "you're certainly more interesting a foe than the average warrior of your race, but you're not nearly as challenging as I expected. Show me your best, or you'll die very soon. I've barely tapped into my full potential."

What else did Solar tell Link about the King? He'd said there was a weak point behind the King's crest, which was small and hard to hit. With what he'd seen so far, he didn't think there was any way he was getting close enough for a clear hit there, even with the Courage Fire. If instincts didn't work, he'd have to rely on his brain.

He dashed behind the King, appearing to teleport, and waited to see the King's reaction. The King swept his tail at Link, scraping gouges into the floor. Link jumped over it, performing another energy-backed slicing flip to the tail, and skid to a halt on the King's left. As soon as the King made another move, Link reacted to it, dashing to another part of the room. To his relief, the King couldn't quite keep up with him.

This continued for several seconds, though Link wasn't getting anything more than a few nicks on the King. They probably amounted to paper cuts for the average person. He was constantly depleting his magic, too, and if he used his Courage Fire too much longer he might die when he came out of it. He needed to up the ante if he was going to win.

Link stopped and plunged the Moon Sword into the ground. Tendrils of light spread through the cavern floor, and a column of energy surrounded him. The King lashed at Link with his tail, putting a crack in the light column. Before the King could attack again, Link summoned for the tendrils in the ground to burst to the surface, illuminating the room completely. The tendrils thickened out and swarmed at the King like guided lightning bolts. The King dodged the first few, then slipped up and let a tendril ram him in the side. The other bolts followed soon afterwards, searing into various points in the King's body. The final one got him in the chest and flung him backward. Link zipped forward and channeled the column around him into his sword, slicing the King down the face.

The room shook with the King's loud growling. Black blood dripped down his face - it looked like writing ink was oozing out of his head. Looked like Link was finally getting somewhere. His last stunt had used up a lot of magic, though, so he didn't know how long his gaining streak was going to go for.

"There's more in you," the King rumbled, standing up straighter, "but not much more. I can sense your life force, and it is slowly draining. I, meanwhile, have yet to show my full power. You cannot win this."

He raised the four large wings on his back. Purple fire began coursing through the wing veins, lighting them up like some sort of freak entertainment show. The points in the King's body extended with the sound of metal sliding on metal. He lifted his head and opened his jaws, generating the flames from his mouth and blank eyes. With the transformation complete, he stood the top half of his body up and flexed his front four arms out.

"Behold," he shouted, "the face of ruin!"

Yeah, behold my sword, Link thought, racing in again. The King certainly had a thing for the theatrical.

A wall of purple flames spread toward Link, warding off his attack. Link cut through the flames and was greeted by the King's fiery face. As the hero moved to unleash another attack, the King shot a fireball into his stomach, carrying Link with it. Five seconds later, he came to a crashing halt in the side of the dome.

He'd put a crater in the wall deep enough for him to stand in without bumping his head on anything. It felt like somebody was poking needles all over his body, courtesy of the King's fireball. He glanced below him and noticed an inconsistency in the immaculate dome wall. It was Zelda, still tethered up in the black strands. He'd landed right above her. Right now, that was the worst possible place he could have wound up.

The King flew at him, wings fully outstretched. Still aching from the impact, Link pushed off the wall and met the King in midair. Link created a rounded barrier covering his small part of the dome, a Triforce emblem holding it together in the center. The two of them slammed into the barrier and hung off of it for a split second. The King reared a fist and punched through it, shattering it like glass.

Link seized the moment, dropped to the ground, and dashed underneath the King's body. He had to draw the villain's attention well away from Zelda. It only partially worked; the King filled his fist with fire, grabbed a chunk of the crater Link had left, and threw it at him. Dust and rocks fell on Zelda's mass as Link dodged his own incoming meteor. The boulder exploded into purple flames, singing Link's right side.

The huge dome was getting messed up. A giant crack had appeared near the top of the room above Zelda, a result of the King's last tactic. With the battle being this fierce, there was a good chance it would crumble. More and more, Link was aware he had to finish the battle quickly.

The King turned and flew at Link again, claws stretched toward him. Link spun around the first arm and swung at the King's chest, hoping to rend it open with a Moon Disk. His attack was blocked by another one of the King's arms, covered with fire. Link's golden flames and the King's purple version swirled together, refusing to mix. Link pressed his attack and sliced his sword at every vulnerable part he could find, only to have it deflected by the King's hands. He could have sword a hind leg blocked one of them.

Every time Link evaded a slash from the King, the purple flames would burn him. It felt like someone was waving a massive torch at him. His enemy's power was steadily increasing, as if the King's anger was fueling his magic. Link was basically treading water now. Was there some card he had yet to play? Anything that could help him?

The image of a woman crossed his mind. Long green hair, shining wings, and...no top. It was the Great Fairy. She'd given him some words of wisdom and encouragement before he left. That was right before he killed the Constellation Queen.

Link parried another attack from the King and tried to remember. She'd given him a bottle of Great Fairy's Tears specifically for this fight. He couldn't win without it. Link wondered if he'd ever find a moment long enough to catch his breath and drink the Tears. Heck, the bottle had probably shattered at this point.

He developed a short-term plan in his head. He'd unleash a large portion of his magic to throw the King off, then use his newfound speed to whip the bottle out (if it still existed in any useable form) and drink the contents. The Great Fairy'd sure had a lot of confidence her Tears would win this.

As Link prepared to execute his plan, another comment from the Great Fairy entered his conscience: _Use your spare Great Fairy's Tears wisely. In the end, choosing who drinks it will seal your victory._

The crack in the dome above Zelda widened with every pound the King made. Part of the roof began to cave in. If this went on too much longer, the crack would burst open, and Zelda would be crushed. She had power of her own, and she'd come here solely so she could seal the King if things went south. The Great Fairy's Tears would augment her power and allow her to help. Freeing her would make her open game to the King, though.

Link's great decision essentially boiled down into two basic choices: himself or Zelda. The roof above Zelda sunk even further, taking the shape of a gargantuan spear-headed boulder. Him or her? He had to make his decision in the next few seconds.

An answer solidified itself in Link's mind. Zelda always had all kinds of "hunches," but now Link had one of his own. If his plan backfired, they were all doomed.

Link had been worn down near the other end of the dome. He sliced the Moon Sword upward, creating a bright flash of light and a shockwave. The King recoiled for a second, which was all Link needed. He dove around the King and dashed for Zelda's position nearly a mile away. The shaking of the ground told him the King was giving chase. That was just what he'd planned on.

With a sweep of his sword, Link produced a tall barrier between himself and his enemy. He let the bottom center part of the barrier fade away as if his magic was disappearing as well. The King jabbed his tail through the opening, nearly running Link through in the process. Link looked back worriedly at Zelda. The King knew he'd do anything to protect her.

Link smiled to himself grimly. This next part might hurt.

The King bent down and opened his mouth in preparation for another fireball. The attack would be aimed straight at Zelda, causing Link to do something careless and get himself killed. Link had been counting on the King opening his jaws up.

He dissolved the first barrier and created a second one in front of Zelda to protect her from the fireball in case his plan went awry. As the King launched his attack, Link summoned energy into the Moon Sword and leaped into the wave of fire, cutting through the barrage. The familiar sensation of needles jabbing into him returned. He released his energy into the King's mouth, keeping it open, and reached into his tunic. The bottle of Great Fairy's Tears was still intact. He didn't know how it happened, but he was glad it did. He threw the bottle into the King's mouth and backed away to watch the effects.

Neither of them were concerned about the King chewing on glass, but the fighting stopped on both ends as the Great Fairy's Tears slid down the monster's throat. Link panted and continued backing up. If his plan didn't work, he needed a lot of space to come up with something new.

"I didn't sense this," the King muttered. "You had another object filled with light magic. What did you do to me?"

"I have no idea," Link said quietly. "We'll see in a moment."

Silence passed for several seconds. Even the King was hesitant to try anything with this turn of events. Link hoped he hadn't wasted one of the only things that would help him win.

The King's eyes widened in surprise. His toothy grin reappeared, happier than it had ever been. "I feel power surging through me. It is like I haven't battled at all. My energy is back!" To Link's horror, the bleeding gash on the King's face began to close up. The King raised his arms in exhilaration. "I don't know what this is, but I thank you for giving it to me. If you weren't such a threat to me and my kind, I would even let you live for this revelation."

Link cursed himself mentally. He made the wrong choice. He supposed there was a reason Zelda's hunches always turned out more accurate than his. Now the King was not only restored to full health, but he would fight even better than he had...and Link could barely keep up with him then.

The King stomped forward, front body lifted into the air. Link went through attack scenarios in his head. The best thing to do would be to resume his usual form of fighting and see how the King reacted.

The King stopped suddenly, and the grin faded just as quickly. He lowered his arms. "Something is not right. This new power is changing me. Now what is happening?"

Light seeped from the King's joints, replacing the purple fire. The King straightened up, spread his arms out, and roared. The light grew, turning the King into some kind of twisted beacon. Link didn't know what was happening either, but he knew he needed to act before his chance was wasted. He jumped onto the King's head, bounced off the spikes, and stopped behind the crest. Summoning almost all of his remaining magic, he slashed at the exposed point in the King's neck repeatedly, unleashing the energy with each swing. Light poured from the King's wound, shooting into the ceiling. Link turned his sword upside down, shouted, and stabbed the blade into the shining wound. A pillar of energy blasted from the strike, reaching the top and bottom of the room. A sharp gale filled the dome, billowing Link's tunic.

The boulder hanging above Zelda dropped. Link kicked off the King's back, landed on the ground in front of him, and flashed his sword in a web-like pattern in the air. The boulder splintered into pieces, leaving Zelda's worst injury a smattering of dust.

"You are not normal," the King wheezed. Link looked behind him. The Constellation King had sagged to his feet, breathing heavily. "The world is full of impossibilities, but I never thought I would meet one quite like you. You win, Starless." The King collapsed to his chest. "This age of darkness is not over. Your race is forever enslaved to the curse of hatred. Beings such as I can sense it. Beings such as I have brought it." His voice lowered to a whisper. "Enjoy the time of peace while you have it. It will not last."

The light from the King's body covered him. A sizzling noise emanated from the monster's corpse. The Constellation King was dead. And with him, the threat of the Constellation had ended.

Link's final blow had opened a wide hole in the top of the dome. Sun rays shone in, lighting up a circle in the middle of the room. For just a moment, Link stood and enjoyed the feeling of the wind.

The black strands keeping Zelda prisoner writhed and fell into pieces. She dropped to her hands, coughed, and staggered to Link. Link watched a cloud go by.

"That's it, then," Zelda said, standing beside him.

"Yup. That's the end of it. For now."

"Yes, I heard that part." Zelda brushed off her left gauntlet. "I don't fully know what he means, but we must accept it as the truth. For now."

"None of this really struck me as coincidence, anyway," Link said, sheathing his sword. "The ancient heroes and the dark villains and whatnot. I thought my role ended with Ganondorf, but..."

The ground began to shake. Black vegetation sprouting on the walls began convulsing and withering, loosening the rock and dirt around them. A piece of the ceiling fell off to Link's left. The entire cave network was collapsing.

"Link, we can talk about this later!" Zelda yelled. "We have to get out of - "

"One step ahead of you," Link grunted. He grabbed Zelda, hoisted her under his arm, and sprung for the hole in the ceiling, using the remnants of his magic to power his jump. He came to a rest on the surface and looked around. Fissures spread throughout the grass, threatening to destroy everything around them. If Link wasn't in his Courage Fire, they would never make it.

Link saw Hyrule Castle and made a run for it. The terrain blew by him as he directed all he had into sprinting. Behind him, most of Hyrule Field started imploding. The carnage quickly caught up to him, making running more difficult. Link ducked under a falling tree and focused on setting his feet on the next most stable section of ground.

As the field gave way beneath him, he used his energy to perform one last jump, taking him all the way to the bridge to Castle Town. The implosion stopped short about a hundred feet away. Link grimaced to himself as he realized what he'd indirectly done. Hyrule now had a crater large enough to turn the moon red with envy. It was better than being bug food, though.

"I suspect they're waiting for us at the castle," Zelda said.

Link nodded. "We have a lot to explain." He shifted his attention down to her, hanging by his right side. "You remember what happens when I use my Courage Fire for too long, right?"

"Yes, I do. We are perfectly ready, willing, and able to assist you."

"I may be out for a few more days. Let me know how things go until then."

Link continued his run to the castle. He didn't know whether or not he'd survive this next ordeal, but he would be entirely content if he failed. He'd saved the world twice in around a year's time. He'd done some good in his life. And he no longer had so much to worry about. Relief overwhelmed all his other senses as Hyrule Castle came closer and closer into view.


	26. Chapter 25: Bittersweet Triumph

Zelda tried to ignore her headache as she bounced up and down in Link's grip. After nearly suffocating in some disgusting black stuff and being unable to see one of the biggest events in her life, she was now being shaken like a rag doll as Link sped toward Hyrule Castle. She'd be able to sleep soon enough. And for once, she would sleep free of worries.

Well, not entirely. But that would come later.

Through Zelda's blurred vision, she saw they were approaching the castle gates at what felt like a zillion miles per hour. Just as she thought Link was going to disregard the dignity of her estate and crash through the front doors, he bounded over the wall separating the castle from the rest of the town and landed softly on the other side.

Link slowly let her go and bent over panting. Zelda stood up and coughed, looking at Link carefully. If he was this exhausted in his Courage Fire, what would happen when he resumed his normal state?

Link returned her gaze. Acceptance flashed in his eyes. "Well, here I go."

The golden fire fizzled out from around him. Immediately he slumped forward and hit the ground like a dead man. Zelda's heart jumped to her throat as she realized the analogy may have been more than just a figure of speech.

The front doors of the castle burst open. Kain, Byron, and a handful of officials and soldiers filed out, speaking quietly to one another and pointing at them. Kain broke the organized line and ran to Zelda, sweat dripping down his face.

"Princess..."

"Help Link," Zelda ordered. "Now. He's dying."

Kain turned and motioned to the soldiers. "Get Link to the castle infirmary immediately. Make haste." The soldiers walked quickly to Link, scooped him up, and continued their fast pace to the castle. "Go! Quickly!" With that, the soldiers ran as fast as they could without injuring Link.

Byron stepped to Kain's side. "I think we already know the answer, judging from the lack of that dark aura, but what's the verdict? Win, lose, or draw?"

"Win. The Constellation King is dead. All Constellation everywhere should be disappearing as we speak."

Byron sighed. "It's all over? Just like that?"

"Just like that. Walk with me to the castle." Kain and Byron fell into position on either side of her as she strode to the front doors. Unsure of what else to do, the officials followed them. "Just think, Byron: no more hunting for Constellation, no more boarding up the windows on a clear and sunny day, and no more sorting through my personal belongings."

"I was just about to say that," Byron muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

Kain opened the doors for them and walked with Zelda as soon as she'd entered. The lobby was filled with soldiers in armor and weapons, packed wall to wall for the assault that never came. They raised their arms as one and shouted in celebration. After spending so long in the quiet nest of the Constellation, Zelda had to resist the urge to cover her ears.

"Hyrule! Hyrule! Hyrule! Hyrule!"

"I wonder if they're happy," Byron joked over the noise.

Zelda lifted her hand, and the room reluctantly fell silent. "The war is over. All the Constellation are dead. Hyrule is still a country." The lobby erupted with cheers again. With another gesture, they slowly quieted down. "You have all done your parts. Whether you fought on the front lines, healed a fellow soldier, or did something as little as polishing armor for those who would fight, you've contributed to our success today. You will all see your families again, and you may rest assured there shall be a celebration tonight."

"As for your orders," Kain added, "you may stand at ease. The conflict is done. Remove your armor and put away your weapons. Sleep in for once. Spread the word."

The soldiers cheered loudly again. Zelda turned to Byron. "Byron, please help the soldiers along. With how happy everyone is, I'm afraid there might even be a riot."

Byron nodded. "Got it. I'll check in with you later." He stepped to the front of the silver crowd and raised his arms. "Alright, morons, settle down! Head on over to the armory in an orderly fashion and do as the princess said. Commanders, pass the word around."

Zelda sighed and massaged her forehead. What a bittersweet victory. The threat was over, but it had come at a cost. Hundreds of Hylian soldiers - many she had known by name - had died to buy Link time, and now he too was dying. An overwhelmingly heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders, but the ache wouldn't fade away. Not for awhile.

"Are you alright?" asked Kain.

Zelda laughed darkly. "Given everything that's happened today...yes, I could be doing worse. It's a complicated matter."

"I'm sure it is." The soldiers began leaving the room, creating an overbearing clanking sound. "Do you want to go back to your chambers, or would you...rather visit Link first?"

She looked up. "We'll visit Link soon, but there's something else I want to do with you before that. Something that needs to be private." Kain blushed a little at that. On hearing her own words, Zelda blushed too. That wasn't how she'd intended it, but it sure sounded that way. "Um...follow me, Kain. We have a lot to discuss. I'm afraid if we don't do it now, it may never be done."

Zelda started quickly for a door on her right. Bowing his head, Kain became her shadow. She composed herself and allowed her blush to fade away.

The castle was so ravaged. It had nearly been destroyed twice in separate incidents. At least it hadn't been totally demolished. With the immediate threat over, maybe they'd actually finish it.

A few minutes later, they found themselves at the entrance to Zelda's room. Trying not to blush again, she opened the door herself and allowed Kain to pass through. She walked in and closed the door a second later.

Kain stared at the boarded-up outlet to the balcony. "I believe the next few weeks will make for a good time for bonfires."

"Because of how much spare wood we'll have once we tear down the blockages?" Zelda guessed, pulling her left boot up.

"Yeah. You know, I never really enjoyed the experience of sitting around a bonfire." He grimaced. "The closest I ever came was burning the Constellatia corpses in a heap. Those were some of the most nerve-wracking moments of my life. Picking up what looks like a big, mutated scorpion, wondering if it's truly dead or not..."

Zelda glanced to the floor. "In some ways, I really have been blessed by my position. I've never been through anything like that."

"True enough." Kain tapped his sword handle absentmindedly. "Of course, monarch or not, you would have quite a resume to present to any employer. I've never been up against the Constellation King. I don't think I would have even tried."

Zelda ran a hand through her hair. "At any rate, we will be celebrating tonight. Your remark about a bonfire has given me a few ideas. You don't need to be a peasant to gather around one."

They thought about that for a few moments. Zelda guessed Kain was connecting the dots between her statements and her motives. He slowly rubbed his index finger up and down his sheath, an antic he usually did when he became nervous or flustered. He looked back at Zelda. "You've been waiting awhile for this, haven't you?"

"The battle is over," Zelda stated. "But I know it's also difficult for you to talk about."

"No, I promised. I can't simply go back on my word. Especially not to a queen." He looked at a chair behind him. "May I sit? The whole story is fairly long, and...I'm tired."

"Yes, go ahead." Zelda pulled out her own chair and sat in it straight across from Kain. Normally she wouldn't have seated herself in a wooden, delicate chair while in her grimy armor, but she wasn't concerned about etiquette now. Evidently, Kain wasn't either, which was rare for him.

He stared her in the eye for a few seconds. "I'm not really sure where to begin. You know the basics, right? Why I'm the last in my family to carry the Whitefeather name?"

"I've...heard stories, yes."

Kain rubbed his sheath again. "The Whitefeather family goes far back in their allegiance to the Hylian Royal Family. Supposedly, they were one of the first families to fall into support when the Hyrulian government was established. According to legend within my house, they were so beautiful and pure that they were like the shining white of a bird's feather, which is allegedly how we got our surname.

"Unfortunately, my family has never exactly been prolific. I don't know if our 'purity' had anything to do with that, but we never multiplied much. As such, our legacy's always held on by a few small threads. Some accidents and diseases whittled it down to about two threads. I guess I was born in that two-thread period." He stopped to consider his next words. "With you being the ruler of Hyrule, you're no doubt familiar with the invisible requirement of maintaining a particular reputation."

Zelda smiled. "I wish it wasn't so most of the time."

"The Whitefeathers had a reputation for being honest and innocent diplomats. The people expected us to be pure and gentle, so my ancestors played to that expectation. No Whitefeather in recorded history has ever been a soldier. Most noble families have at least a warrior or two, usually one who commands others simply because of his status. Not us.

"I spent most of my early life preparing to be a diplomat just like the few others in my family. I was taught to be eloquent, smooth in speech, and a master of etiquette. I was told the customs of Gorons, Zoras, and many other foreign cultures. One day, of course, it all unraveled."

"I remember that day," Zelda murmured. "My father told me some very important people had been murdered. When you became my personal bodyguard, I learned it was in your family."

Kain nodded. "I was twelve then. I'd been on a couple of business trips to see what my future would have been like, and my older sister Sola was already acknowledged as an official diplomat. I was hanging around in the castle courtyard when a Hylian commander, Dracor, came to me. Thinking back on it, I can't imagine what he had to go through, breaking the news to a child my age." Kain stiffened a little. "He pulled me aside to a private place and told me both of my parents had been assassinated at a council earlier that day. It was supposed to be a peaceful gathering to discuss some mundane issue...I think it had something to do about a bridge."

He stared past Zelda into the wall. Zelda felt her body go numb. Moving seemed like a wrong thing to do at the moment.

"I went through every definition of the word 'assassinated' in my mind," Kain continued. "I must have been hoping Dracor had really meant they'd only been wounded, but I knew what he meant. My parents - both of them - had been killed. I demanded to know the details. I wanted to know just how my parents could have been assassinated in a well-protected, secure location. In fact, it still puzzles me a bit to this day.

"Apparently, not everybody in Dracor's unit had savory views on all of the nobles gathered at the council. For security reasons, even guards were not allowed inside a certain space where the council was gathered. One guard found a way to distract the other guards, then marched himself to the table and drew his sword. When the other soldiers in the room realized what was happening, they rushed him and tried to subdue him. My parents, who were sitting next to the diplomat the guard was trying to kill, attempted to protect him and pull him to safety. The rogue guard drew a dagger and murdered all three in the process. Dracor said he failed to see it coming and that the event was partly his responsibility. Rather than sending an underling, he talked to me personally.

"Dracos himself died of an illness a few years later, but he learned to father me in that short time. I, meanwhile...I was traumatized. Who wanted to be a diplomat if it involved being assassinated? If soldiers would turn on us, who could we trust anymore? I was essentially ready to give up my future. When Dracor died, though, I gradually came to a conclusion. I needed to be a soldier myself. I needed to overcome my fears, protect Sola as my only living relative, and make sure other diplomats didn't meet the same fate as my parents."

"So you became a soldier," Zelda summarized. "And not only a soldier, but my own bodyguard. What happened to your parents was terrible, but I am at least glad you made the decision to enlist yourself in Hyrule's army."

Kain smirked. "Yeah, I'm glad, too. I lost much of my formal upbringing during training, which I guess was rebellion in a way. Etiquette stated we couldn't arm ourselves, and look what it did for us. I'm just grateful I didn't turn into Byron. That boy needs to sit still and learn some manners."

"You met Byron during training, didn't you?" Zelda asked.

"Yes. I gave training my all, and it didn't go unnoticed by the higher-ups. But the one thing I could never get a grasp on is archery. In fact, I still do poorly in that area. I was told by some people that there was a prodigy with the bow I could do some practice with, particularly because that same prodigy couldn't fight with a sword to save his life. On a battlefield, that's exactly what everyone is worried about.

"I'd seen him around a few times but never really talked to him. A couple of days later, he made the first move and talked to me, so I surmise other people had been telling him about our practicing together. His name was Byron, and he was a commoner from a family of merchants." Kain grinned slightly. "He said he'd always fantasized about fighting with a sword, then picked one up and discovered how difficult it was.

"He wanted to train with me every now and then, but I pressed him into training every day. I could tell he didn't like it at first, but he grew used to the routine. The two of us were always sore and tired, and I'm pretty sure we both wondered if all our hard work was really going anywhere. Byron always demanded perfection in his archery skills, and he gives himself less credit than he deserves. I think the unpredictable nature of the Constellation threw his shots off and hurt his pride.

"We became known as the 'Sword and Bow Guys' around camp and achieved some level of popularity. This popularity reached the ears of the king - your father - and warranted an audience with him. He seemed to take an interest in us and recognized not only our effort and talent, but our young ages. I was 20 at the time, and Byron was 22." An animated spark appeared in Kain's eyes. "The king said we'd be the perfect candidates for protecting a certain member of the royal family who was constantly getting into trouble."

Zelda smiled sheepishly. "Aren't you glad I made so much mischief, then?"

Kain laughed. "I am now, yes. At the time, you were...a bit of a headache. No offense, princess."

"None taken. I felt so cooped up in the castle that I wanted to get out and explore on my own. It was stupid of me, but I'm told previous Zeldas were rather feisty as well."

Kain loosened up and leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "Byron and I thought we'd made a lucky break. And we had. The king said that we, being as young as we were, could empathize with you better than 'scary old men,' as he put it. Our job certainly paid better than anything we'd done before, but there were some stressful times."

"And my excursions didn't help."

"Your excursions were the cause. I'm still not entirely sure what you were thinking when you wandered into the middle of Hyrule Field and set up your own picnic. I couldn't tell whether the king and queen were more upset or mesmerized."

Zelda laughed quietly. "I did leave a note explaining what I was off to."

Kain exhaled. "Anyway, we were well-paid and quickly recognized among the ranks, and eventually you decided to stop being such a troublemaker. Since then, the job has been smooth sailing. Until a year ago, that is, but those events were mostly outside our control. Pretending to be a peasant was a big learning experience for me."

Zelda nodded. "I was annoyed to have you around at first, but I later realized just how important you and Byron are. You were there to ensure I didn't get myself killed in another scene of mischief, not to restrain me. Actually, without you, I probably would have died a long time ago."

"Yeah, we got you out of some pretty big messes..."

A knock came from the door. Byron's voice sounded muffled on the other side of it. "Hey, princess? Are you in here?"

"Yes," Zelda replied. "You can come in."

The door opened and Byron's tall frame stepped in. His green hair was even more disheveled than usual. "There's a happiness bug going around. I've been hugged more times in the past half hour than my mother ever gave me at home. Which is saying a lot." He placed his hands in the small of his back and stretched out, popping his spine. "Oh, that hurts so good."

"What are the soldiers doing?" Zelda asked. She stood up and moved her chair to the side of the room.

"Hugging, punching fists, belly-rumping, and every other expression of ecstasy under the sun. Right now, they're all headed to the armory and stripping down, as you ordered. I didn't give them any further commands, but I expect they'll want some sort of speech from you."

Zelda closed her eyes. "There's a lot to be done, but it'll wait until tomorrow. We need to rest and gather our bearings for today. There's a giant hole in Hyrule Field, which will certainly hinder trade routes, there are funerals to organize, a castle to repair...and of course, a nation to bring back home. This will be another adventure in and of itself."

Byron shrugged. "Better than hiding in our homes from foreign monsters. We'll get it figured out, though. Remember, you have me and Kain. We can handle the little stuff."

"Thank you, Byron." She stepped back and looked between the two of them. "I know I've said this a lot recently, but really...thank you. I'm positive I wouldn't be here without you, and you're a valuable part of Hyrule's army. You're a valuable part of Hyrule itself."

"I think Byron has a discount tag hanging off him," Kain said, grinning again.

Byron rolled his eyes. "I'd make a snappy retort, but nothing's coming to me. I'll catch you on that later."

"As for immediate plans," Zelda continued, "I want to remove my armor, take a bath, and then sit down and review the larger dilemmas this whole episode has caused us. Even before that, though, I need to see the one who saved us in the first place."

"I meant to ask you about that," Byron responded. "He didn't look so good on the way in. Is he going to be alright?"

"I believe so, but we're not out of the woods yet." Zelda strode to her door and beckoned for Kain and Byron to follow her. They exited back into the imperial yet marred hallway and went left, heading for the infirmary. "Link used his Courage Fire only a little bit in two separate instances, and both left him in bed for two days. In his battle with the Constellation King, he exerted many times more energy than normal and remained in his Courage Fire longer than he ever has. All this exhaustion may..."

She didn't want to say it. She really didn't know Link personally, but she felt connected to him. Both had their parts to play in major historical events, and both bore pieces of the Triforce. Ever since Link had killed Ganondorf, he'd occasionally stopped by Castle Town, sometimes with the sole intention of seeing how things were going in Hyrule Castle. His loss would mean a great deal for the world.

They reached the infirmary in a few short moments. Zelda pushed open the door and looked around the bed-filled space. Nearly every bed was occupied by somebody - she added Hyrule's medical problems to her list of issues to fix. A young nurse girl to her left bowed politely. Zelda turned to her. "Do you know where I can find Link? He would have arrived all in green..."

The nurse bobbed her head up and down. "Yes, Your Highness. He was brought to a bed near the back of the room. Please follow me."

Zelda glanced at all the other injured people. Most of them were soldiers who had been wounded in battle recently, many of them high-ranking. Castle Town's hospitals were less secure and harder to run with the Constellation a threat, so the castle infirmary was packed as full as it could be. It was actually a wonder they'd managed to fit Link in anywhere.

They stopped at the foot of a bed in the far corner of the long stone room. A man with dirty blond hair laid under its covers. His skin was so pale it looked like marble. The green hat he normally wore rested on a table next to the bed.

Zelda felt her spirit decrease. "Link, what happened to you?"

A handful of doctors and nurses clustered around him, muttering orders to one another and moving medicines around. One nurse rubbed a sponge doused with some sort of dark purple medicine onto his wrist.

"Is he going to be okay?" Zelda asked.

The doctor in charge of him, a black-haired man, wiped his brow. "In all honesty, Your Highness, it's not looking very good. His external injuries are few and far between, but something inside him is draining his energy, and we don't know what. It looks as if his life force itself is fading away, and frankly...we don't really know how to counter that."

Zelda looked him in the eye. "Do you think he will live?"

The doctor moved his mouth as if to answer, then exhaled and reconsidered. Finally, he returned her gaze. "No. No, I don't believe he'll make it through this. I'm sorry, Your Highness."

If not for Link's faint breathing, he could have passed for dead. He probably had only minutes before he died. Zelda needed to come up with something quick.

"Alright," she began, "all of you, please look away for a moment. I'm about to do something very, very private. Kain, Byron..."

Her bodyguards maneuvered around the bed to stand in front of the nurses and doctors. When Zelda was sure they couldn't see what she was doing, she bent down and held her right hand over Link. The Triforce of Wisdom glowed on it, searching Link's spirit. What was wrong with him?

His life force had diminished down to a small puddle. She was right - he had minutes left to live. Anybody whose life force was that miniscule had never survived in her experience. Her heart beat faster.

She started transferring her own life energy into him. If she could just keep him alive, potions and medicines might have a chance of working. As it was, more energy was the only thing that could save him.

"Would the standard healing potions work at all?" Kain suggested. "Green potions, for example?"

"That's unlikely," Zelda answered, shaking from the effort. "Green potions restore magic, and the other medicines like red and blue potions heal physical injuries. This is a simple matter of the energy that keeps him alive depleting. He used more spiritual energy than he could sustain, and it's costing him now. It's like borrowing from a limitless supply of energy without being able to afford it. Please, Link..."

She was growing weaker from the strain, and Link's life force was still shrinking. He had really gone overboard this time. Zelda's intervention was the only thing separating him from death right now.

"Kain, Byron," she ordered, "place your hands on mine. We're going to use some of your energy to replenish Link's."

They did as they were told immediately. Her glowing Triforce was covered up in what looked like a team gathering over the most morbid of circumstances. She used her light magic to prod into Kain and Byron's willing life forces and direct a portion of it into Link.

"Is it working?" Byron muttered.

Zelda shook her head. "Not yet. He used so much energy. It's still draining."

The room began to spin from Zelda's exertion. She started hyperventilating, ignoring the sweat dripping down her face. If she stopped even for a moment, Link may die.

"You're tired," Kain said.

"I can't quit yet," she gasped. "Send for Lord Palos and his top mages and have them take over the task. I can't do it much longer."

Kain touched a nurse on the arm. "You heard the princess. Go find Palos as quickly as you can. Tell him to drop everything he's doing and run over here."

The nurse bowed with a nervous "Yes sir!" and took off, working her way through the busy room. Zelda closed her eyes and focused her energy on Link. If she did this much longer, she would probably end up like Link.

"Come on," she whispered. "Please, Link. Not now. You need to be alive so you can see what you've done for us. Come on, Link..."

Kain placed his free hand on Zelda's shoulder. "Keep at it, princess. Hang in there."

Link's life force was still fading, and Zelda's was slowly disappearing to the same level. She had tired herself from recent events as well and couldn't handle the Triforce of Wisdom at its full potential. How long would it take for Palos to arrive?

"Come on, Link. Hold on. Keep holding on. This isn't your time. Please..."


	27. Epilogue: A Starlit Night

**One Month Later**

Zelda looked around the castle foyer, trying to keep an eye on her guests and listen to a noble's new idea at the same time. Elegantly-dressed people filled the room from wall to wall, conversing with one another and enjoying the food laid out on the side. Wooden tables and chairs had been set up for comfort and dining. There were at least a few hundred people gathered together here, and that wasn't counting the individual get-togethers all over Hyrule.

One month had passed since the Constellation had been eradicated. The world still bore its scars, but they were slowly healing. The crater in Castle Town's front lawn had been promptly filled up by eager Gorons, but it didn't look the same and probably wouldn't for a long time to come. All of the dead had been buried, and the Constellation were courteous enough to dissolve spontaneously after the King had gone down, leaving the monster grave count at a minimum.

Hyrule as a country was whole once again, evidenced by the gathering tonight. It wasn't a celebration, per se; the circumstances were still too grim for something like that. Many people had lost family members over the past couple of months, and while their victory was certainly to be treasured, there were some who would take offense at what they perceived to be celebrating the deaths of their loved ones.

Rather, tonight was a social gathering where the Hylian citizens who had returned from overseas could receive a full report in one sitting, direct from the princess herself - meaning Zelda. It was an opportunity to rejoice if they so desired, but with so much confusion regarding Hyrule's future, the event was more to set things straight. It had taken a full two and a half weeks to get everybody back home, which didn't leave a whole lot of room for explanation.

Zelda sighed and turned her full attention back to the noble. She'd gotten the gist of his one-sided conversation: extend proper thanks to Gorons and other allies, hopefully receive more benefits in return. Zelda had already visited both the Gorons and Zoras (the latter of whom couldn't participate in the Hylian-Constellation war) and sent heartfelt letters of thanks to the rulers of Labrynna and Holodrum. All four had promised aid in the near future, but so far only the Gorons and Zoras were available.

"We could certainly use all the help we can get," the noble finished, "wouldn't you say?"

Zelda smiled. "Of course. After recent events, it will take more than sheer willpower to get ourselves back on our feet."

"I'm glad you agree." With a short bow, the noble excused himself and headed off to another conversation.

Zelda brushed out a crease in her dress. She'd really pulled out all the stops with her outfit tonight. A slim light blue dress hung down to the floor around her, emblazoned with a gray upside-down pentagon bearing the red and gold Hylian crest. The area around her collar was colored white and wrapped around by a golden necklace sporting the Triforce in the center. A silver tiara and shoulder-length white leather gloves completed the look.

Kain and Byron pushed their way through the crowd to her a moment later, Byron holding a breadstick in one hand. While Kain appeared right at home in his black dress tunic and gray pants, Byron, who wore the same, did not.

Kain glanced out a window. "You have roughly an hour before your address. How are you holding up?"

Zelda nodded once. "Fine. Merely entertaining guests. You?"

"Speaking of guests," Byron said through a mouthful of food, "we're supposed to have someone special pay us a visit before the address, with a fancy set of clothes and everything." He swallowed and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

Kain half-closed his eyes as if he wanted to hit Byron. "Byron, that's your dress uniform. If you're going to clean your face, do it with a napkin."

"Well, perhaps you need an introduction to a special cleaning agent that gets the job done with regularity. It's called water."

"That's not the point."

"At any rate," Zelda interrupted, "who is this special guest?"

Byron dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "You'll see pretty soon."

Zelda raised her eyebrows. "Is this going to be a pleasant surprise or an unpleasant one?"

"Pleasant," Byron assured her. "Well, mostly. I'm not really sure if you'll be happy to see him here." She raised her eyebrows higher. Byron laughed.

Kain became solemn. "I wonder how long it's going to take to get everything back to normal. I can hardly relax at night. The world feels different now."

Zelda rested her hand against a nearby column supporting a terrace. "These events will never be forgotten by the current generation. I suspect it'll take several years for any sense of normalcy to return. So much of our lives have been violated. In the physical realm of things, at least a few months will pass before our supplies are back up to where they were, and there are less workers in circulation. I wish this problem would go away when I wake up tomorrow, but...somebody has to lead."

Byron popped the rest of his breadstick into his mouth. "The blessings and curses of being born into royalty. As my grandmother used to say, 'life's unfair to everyone, so you've got to make a path for yourself by force.' That was right before she threw her back out trying to push a carriage out of the mud, of course."

Kain crossed his arms. "Everybody has problems to deal with. Ours just affect more people, so we'll have to be more careful. And you haven't failed us yet, princess. The citizens are back, trade routes are being reestablished, and supplies are going back up. The issue's smaller than it was just a week ago."

Zelda slowly began walking across the foyer. "That's how I keep myself going. One day, all of this will be over, and I'll look back on this and be glad I pulled through."

Kain looked past her and lifted his chin. "Ah. Our guest approaches."

She turned to Kain, then refocused her attention where his gaze went. After a moment of searching, her eyes fell on a person descending a long staircase on the wall to her left. Byron's prediction was correct: she was happy to see him, but not here. The figure slowly made his way down the stairs, trying not to bump into anyone.

"I suppose he couldn't resist tonight," Zelda sighed.

"We couldn't dissuade him," Kain added. "We all know what he should be doing logically, but I can't blame him. Besides, after spending so long in a bed, I'd feel the need to get up and socialize, too."

The person reached the bottom of the stairs, paused to catch his breath, and continued toward Zelda. As much as Byron looked out of place in his new outfit, this man was even more so. His light red dress tunic stood out with a tail that draped to the back of his knees, which were covered by loose brown pants. For once, his unkempt dirty blond hair was parted into semi-fashionable form.

"Believe it or not," Byron interjected, "I set his outfit up."

Zelda blinked at him. "You did?"

"Well hey, I didn't want to be the only country rube suffering from wearing stuffy noble's clothes. Somebody's gotta join me."

The man came closer, flinching with each step. He was obviously in a fair bit of pain from forcing his body to do so much. Zelda bowed her head to him in greeting. "Good evening, Link."

Link smiled in response. "It feels good to be back up and moving again."

"Well, don't take it too far. You're still recovering from your battle with the Constellation King. If you do too much, you may harm yourself irreparably."

"I'm willing to take the risk." Link made his way to a chair as fast as his tired body would allow, rearranged it so it was facing them, and sat in it. Zelda and her bodyguards occupied the other chairs, causing Link to turn his chair back around. "I wasn't going to miss tonight. I was out for three weeks. I want to know what happened then."

"The expected," Zelda answered. "Our denizens are back from the allied nations as a result of diplomacy, and Castle Town is slowly being rebuilt. ...Very slowly." She sagged in her chair somewhat. "The city suffered a lot of damage. It may take years to restore it to its former glory."

"Is there any way I can help?" Link asked. Zelda recognized the familiar look of pain in his eyes.

She laid her hands on the table. "Link, don't even worry about working for now. You're recovering slowly as well. And even then..."

Her mind wandered to the conversation she'd had with Link when he'd woken up around a week ago. Link's greatest asset and greatest curse had been overturned by an event that was also a blessing and a curse. It was difficult to even think about.

The current age of the Hero had ended.

* * *

Link shifted his body. His mind felt hazy, his eyes refused to open, and his motionless carcass felt like it had turned to stone from a lack of movement. His mind struggled to pick up the scattered pieces of his memories. What happened to him?

The last thing he remembered was fighting a giant beast...the Constellation King. He'd been using some form powered by the Triforce to defeat it. Now he remembered - he'd killed the King, destroyed the Constellatia lair, and escaped with Zelda to Hyrule Castle. Then he'd deactivated his Courage Fire, and everything had gone black.

Something gently nudged him, restoring some of his senses. He was wrapped in warmth...bedsheets. A voice pervaded his consciousness. Link strained his ears. It sounded like a distant echo.

"Link," the voice repeated, louder this time.

Link gradually forced his eyes open. What little of the world he could see was a blur. He waited a few seconds for the distortion to disappear, but his eyes could barely focus. Just how long had he been out to result in this sluggishness?

"Link, you're awake," the feminine voice said. It was clear as normal. Then again, Link barely recalled what "normal" was. He felt like he was being re-born into the world.

The room stopped swimming in front of him, allowing him to concentrate. He was lying on his back, staring at a smooth stone ceiling. Sunlight lit the room through several windows. The birds chirping outside and the quiet wind were welcome sounds to Link's currently reclusive ears. The sky through the windows was a deep blue. What a way to wake up.

"Link, can you hear me?" the voice prodded from his right.

Link turned his head, bringing on a wave of dizziness. A pale, slender woman in a beautiful dress sat on a wooden stool next to his bed. Zelda, the one stuck with the nationwide mess while he slept. He almost felt guilty.

The room he was in looked familiar. Red carpet, posh furniture...this was his temporary castle room. He mumbled something inaudible to show he was alive.

Zelda smiled and bent over, laugh lines crinkling at the corners of her eyes. Link tried to smile back, but his face wouldn't respond. Smiles supposedly used fewer muscles than frowning, but that was still one muscle too many at the moment.

"I've missed you, Link," she whispered.

Link licked his lips. His throat was incredibly parched. "I missed me, too. What's going on?"

"You've been bedridden for three weeks," Zelda explained. She eased her smile, but the laugh lines remained. "Nurses and mages have been constantly supplying you with whatever life force they can muster, but most of us thought you wouldn't survive. It's taken nearly a month, but I'm glad we were all proven wrong. I came here as soon as I heard you were stirring."

He was too dead to be surprised at his three-week coma. "Z'here some water?"

"Water? Yes." Zelda reached for a pitcher on a table beside her and began pouring a glass. This was the most animated Link had ever seen her. She cradled her arm behind his head and softly lifted him up, holding the glass to his lips. He'd never been more grateful for water in his life.

She let him back down when he'd had his fill. With his overbearing thirst quenched, his hunger took the spotlight. With how empty he felt, he wondered if he even had a stomach anymore. "Thanks. That's good stuff." He tilted his head toward her again. "Where are Kain and Byron? Aren't they usually with you?"

Zelda nodded. "Things have been busy lately, Link. I really don't have the time to even sit and speak with you. I've left Kain and Byron to tend to immediate affairs, but I can't stay here for very long. Even so, I wanted to make time."

Link attempted to sit up straighter, but the room spun too quickly. "What about the Constellation? Are they...?"

"They're all gone," Zelda answered. "It was just as you said. After you killed the King, all Constellation and Constellatia-related beings vaporized on the spot. The magic powering them was severed, turning them into lifeless creations taking up valuable space in the world. There is no trace of them left."

Link sighed and managed a smile. "So it's all gone. No more Constellation. We've won." He stared out the window and let the breeze blow on his face. "All the fighting is over. At least until the next catastrophe comes along." He turned back to Zelda. "That reminds me...did you ever find out what the Constellation King meant? What he said right before he died?"

Zelda crossed her legs. "I've been thinking about that ever since that day. He said the 'age of darkness' wasn't over, that our kind was forever enslaved to the 'curse of hatred.' That doesn't exactly sound very encouraging, does it?"

"Sounds like he knew something we don't."

"Indeed. I get the feeling this was just another chapter in something ancient. An old prophecy, perhaps. I have no knowledge of any existing records on the subject. We do, of course, have the basic history of Hyrule, which is marred by wars and other such issues. The past year has just explored two components of this prophecy."

Link closed his eyes. "In other words, some generations down the line, this will happen again. And there's nothing we can do to stop it. Is there."

Zelda exhaled. "I don't know. It's worth looking into, but this is far bigger than the events we've just experienced. We're just the leaves on a branch connected to a tall tree." She looked at Link gravely. "At any rate, your role in this 'period of darkness' is over. As such, I get the impression no more wars like this one will happen during our lifetimes. It's one of my hunches."

Link narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

The princess rubbed her knee uneasily but held her eye contact with him. "Link...your Courage Fire during your battle with the King allowed you to pull off victory and save Hyrule, but it's come at a cost. Overuse of the Triforce of Courage's power has permanently sapped your life force and limited its reach, much like any organ of the body can become constricted with damage."

"So what are you saying?" Link muttered.

Zelda cautiously inhaled before continuing. "Your life force has been forever shortened. It almost disappeared several times during your sleep. As a result, you will never be able to fight with a weapon again. Ongoing manual labor won't be easy, and your body will never again be able to withstand the stress of an adventure." Zelda tipped her head in apology. "This war has forced you into retirement from being a hero. I'm sorry, Link."

The loudest sound Link could hear was the birds chirping. He thought about what Zelda had said. Link, savior of the world and adventurer of renown, could no longer wield a sword to defend himself or save those he loved. Was that cause for relief or sadness? No more fighting monsters in a page of history he'd never wanted to be a part of. No more saving Colin from King Bulblin or protecting Ilia from the flaming arrows of said king's minions. No more staggering onward, wondering when the next town or merchant to ease his fatigue would come over the horizon. No more experiencing the joy of an adventure.

It was all over. Just like that. Good or bad.

"Am I supposed to be sorry, too?" Link thought aloud.

Zelda massaged her gloved hands together. "You can make of that what you may. I don't believe you will ever have to partake of a disaster such as this again, but you also cannot take up arms when it's important." She glanced to the side of the room. "Perhaps I've said too much."

"No, that's okay. The truth should always be told, even when it hurts." He slid his hand out from underneath the covers of his bed and laid it on top of Zelda's hands. "Thank you for taking care of me for so long. You're not so bad for a princess, you know?"

Zelda smiled again. "Thank you as well, Link. I'm sure you're going to hear this a lot, but I want to thank you on behalf of the kingdom of Hyrule. Actually, it would be more proper to thank you on behalf of the entire world."

Link withdrew his hand. "And to the world, I say...you're welcome."

Zelda stood up. "I have to go, Link. Unfortunately, the paper on my desk will not write itself. Don't push yourself too hard."

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Not for awhile."

* * *

Link leaned back in his chair. "I've accepted my future. This is just my role to fill for now. Adventuring may not be ahead of me, but I've left some good ones behind me. I'm not going to mope over it."

"That's a good viewpoint," Kain nodded.

"If you're interested," Zelda continued, "I can get you involved in simple procedures - signing papers and the like. Climbing Death Mountain to speak to the Goron patriarch is out of the question, however."

"I know."

A couple of people in the crowd caught Zelda's attention. Her eyes brightened. "Furthermore, you have two special guests of your own, Link. I figured you'd want to see some familiar faces from home after a two-month absence."

Link furrowed his brow and followed Zelda's gaze. His eyes settled on two people he hadn't seen in ages but thought about constantly. The first person was a bald man with a large belly. A thin white mustache set above rustic dress clothes gave him a receptive appearance. His gray tunic over a white undershirt and dark red pants (complete with a patch to cover a tear) looked extremely awkward for someone typically garbed in farm dress.

The young woman next to him had short-ish blonde hair tied into a ponytail and bright green eyes. Unlike the large man, she didn't look entirely out of place in her red dress, which was obviously better preserved than the man's pants.

Link bolted upright, fighting off a surge of dizziness. "Bo! Ilia!"

They looked in Link's direction as one. Bo instantly brightened up. "Well, if it's not the man himself! Been waitin' to see you, lad!"

They made their way across the crowd, Bo finding a bit of trouble with his size. Ilia reached them first, saw Zelda, and stopped. "Oh...are you...Princess Zelda?" She bowed hastily. "It's an honor to meet you."

Zelda tipped her head in response. "Likewise. Link has told me a lot about you and your father."

Bo arrived somewhat out of breath. "Dang place is more packed than Fado's barn during feedin' time...oh, Princess Zelda? It's nice to meet you. I've gotta say, you've done a bang-up job with this country after both scares we've had this year. Not every ruler can pull off what you've done, and most of them are twice your age."

The princess grinned at the compliment. "I've had a lot of on-the-job experience. Everyone involved in the decision-making progress is responsible for the welfare of Hyrule. Even this gathering is due mostly to them."

Link turned in his chair to face Bo and Ilia. "So when did you get back? How was it in another country?"

Ilia brushed her hair back. "Strange, and not very encouraging, either. Nobody was sure if we'd even be able to return to Hyrule." She tilted her head. "That reminds me - are you still taking medicine for your leg?"

"Nope. It's cured. I have a few other physical limitations now, of course..."

"I'll bet," Bo murmured, rubbing the back of his head. "I've been meaning to speak to you, lad. I haven't seen you in so long. Been worried sick, most of the time. Got a minute?"

Link pushed his chair out and stood up unsteadily. When he found his footing, he accompanied Bo, walking away from the table. He heard Zelda start a conversation with a nervous Ilia, who took Link's former seat. Bo put his arm around Link's shoulders, partially to support him.

They stopped at the edge of the room, where they had a fair bit of privacy. Bo patted Link on the shoulder. "So how've you been feeling? Looks like you've sustained an injury or two."

"It's more the injuries you can't see that affect me," Link explained. Bo raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'm not talking about emotional or mental injuries. But physically, I won't ever be the same. I'll never have the same level of energy or strength. That's what this war has done to me, but it was well worth the price."

Bo grunted. "I'm not 100% sure what you been doing, but I heard you saved the world. Again. Quite a job description, eh?" He took his arm back and turned to face Link. "Well, we'll have plenty of time to talk about it when you get back to Ordon. I want you to know we're all proud of you, lad. People in Ordon Village are having their own celebration, and they all want to see you as soon as possible."

Link watched the forms of Ilia, Zelda, and the bodyguards talking. "I can't wait to go back. This journey's taken a big toll on me. I want to walk in the woods, I want to pet the goats...I want things to go back to the way they used to be."

"And they will!" Bo assured him. "With any luck, we won't get any more of these danged disasters. What's next, flooding Hyrule? Not that that would happen." He pulled on his tunic collar. "There was something else I was wantin' to talk to you about, and recent affairs have put it on my mind all the more. Ilia's a woman now, you know?" He glanced at Ilia across the foyer. "She's not the adorable little girl she used to be...although she's still adorable. She's reached the age where she's started looking for a man."

Link felt his face go hot but tried not to show any expression. He and Ilia were childhood friends, going back as far as he could remember. These days, though, he couldn't deny he felt something a little more than friendship whenever he looked at her, and he couldn't help wondering if she thought the same thing.

"Well," Bo continued, "let's just say I give you my blessing, huh? You're a good man, and I know you'll be good to her. What better husband to have than a hero?" He rubbed his head again. "But I'm gettin' ahead of myself. What else was I going to say? Oh yeah, you're still the first candidate for being the next mayor. I ain't gonna be around forever, but I know you'll do one heck of a job seeing over Ordon Village when I'm gone. I've never so much as made a goofy face at an octorok."

"Thanks, Bo." Link scratched his hair, unsure of what else to say. He was saved by the call of a man behind him.

"Well, well," the man's voice lauded, "look who's up and about so soon. Nice to see you're recovering."

Link turned around and saw an old, white-haired man in a blue robe walking toward him. He searched his memory, trying to find where he'd seen him from. "Umar?"

The old man laughed. "And you remember me. Looks like my advice at the start of your journey came in handy."

Bo bobbed his head. "I'm gonna go check on Ilia. And I'm serious about the blessing thing. Don't ever doubt that."

The mayor's rotund form strode off. Umar scratched the end of his nose. "I'd love to hear all about your adventure, but now may not be the right time or place. I'll settle for a summary for now."

The whole thing started around seven or eight weeks ago. The details were a little vague. "I was paralyzed in the leg by an infant Constellatia, which started the process. In Castle Town, you invited me into your house and told me nearly everything I needed to know about the Constellation. If not for that advice, we'd all be dead by now. The history books should record your wisdom in addition to everything else that happened."

"Oh, I'm not one for the history books," said Umar, "but do continue."

"I went to Death Mountain, found Dargal's Crater, somehow passed all the tests, and got the Moon Sword. From what Princess Zelda told me, the Moon Sword has lost its power since all the Constellation are gone, so now it's just an ordinary blade serving as a piece of art somewhere in this castle. The same thing's happened to the Compass."

"I'll have to see them myself sometime," Umar pondered.

"I arrived back at Hyrule Castle in time to defend the princess from the Constellatia attack, then went straight to the Gerudo Desert. As I was on the last of my supplies, I found the entrance to Robber's Coffin, where I passed even more creepy tests and got the Constellation Compass. It was there that I cured my paralyzed leg with Great Fairy's Tears and killed the Constellation Queen. When I left, the remaining spirit of the Queen attacked me, but I used my Courage Fire - a special form - to survive. Later, I halted the war with the Constellation at Castle Town, spent the next five days resting, and killed the King in his lair. Then I fell into a three-week coma which I only pulled out of recently."

Umar rubbed his chin. "Very interesting. To think that you would save Hyrule not once, but twice... Labrynna and Holodrum are independent nations, but not so powerful as Hyrule. I don't think they would have survived an invasion from either the Constellation or that villain Ganondorf. You really are something, kid."

"I'm only what other people have made me." Link turned to the front doors and felt a longing inside of him. There was something else he wanted to do before calling it a day. He hadn't experienced it in a full month. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to go outside, just to enjoy what it has to offer."

"One of those simple pleasures. I'll leave you to it, then."

As Umar departed, Link pulled himself across the room, squeezing past the conversing visitors. He reached the front doors, muscles aching from the effort, and stepped outside.

The sun had already set, and a cool wind blew across the darkness. Several bonfires had been lit around the courtyard, bathing sections of it in orange light. Soldiers out of uniform strode about tending the fires and talking to their comrades. Link found a spot against the wall of the castle and leaned against it, crossing his arms.

There was something refreshing about relaxing outdoors on a fair-weathered night. Link closed his eyes and breathed in as the wind blew. Being cooped up indoors for a conscious week felt claustrophobic after awhile. It was good to just get out every now and then.

Link had no idea what the curse of hatred was, but was there any sense in resisting fate? His role had ended, and as the princess's hunch claimed, the current period of darkness had ended as well. Perhaps the best thing to do now was to enjoy the freedom he had fought hard to earn.

Solar, the vengeful sorceror of the stars, had been onto something hundreds of years ago. With his power, he could have done something right to end the pain and sorrow he'd felt. What he had lacked was hope. Ultimately, he had come to realize a glimmer of hope and had helped Link achieve victory through it. It was amazing how many people were collectively responsible for Hyrule's salvation, even when they'd intended to destroy it from the beginning.

"Enjoying yourself?" Zelda's voice prompted.

Link opened his eyes. The princess had silently made her way right next to him. She crossed her arms in a ladylike fashion and stared into his eyes. Link returned her gaze. "Yeah, I'm taking in the atmosphere. Being born in an isolated forest village makes you an outdoors kind of guy."

"I would desire the outdoors too if I'd been kept in bed for nearly four weeks. Then again, I always was a little rambunctious for a princess." She sighed. "I give my address in thirty minutes. I've never given a speech like this before, an address with so much of pain and relief. It's an odd thing."

Link stared into the sky. It was covered with little balls of light, like somebody had spilled salt on a black floor. He smirked. "You know what's also a little odd? How there are so many stars visible on the day we're mourning the destruction they've caused. They are beautiful, though."

"Hmm. Yes." She examined the stars with him. "Things are not always what they seem, and there's more than one perspective to every tale. But for now...let's enjoy the view."

**THE END**

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**Author's Note:** And that concludes Infestation and Medicine. Link's fight against the Constellation draws to a close in this touching scene. I hoped you have enjoyed reading it. I've enjoyed writing it.

On a side note, I have also launched a blog related to fanfic reading and writing. For updates on novels of similar scope (and grander), you may consider giving it a look. More information can be found in my profile.

Thank you for reading!


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